A life-changing phone call
by ScarletAS
Summary: After the winter cup, Kuroko received a sudden phone call from a certain person. After that, a series of events will have them constantly meeting each other, making Kuroko doubt those "random" encounters were not planned beforehand. While Kuroko pains to admit his feelings, the mastermind behind it all is not planning to let him run away. After all, what he wants he gets.
1. Chapter 1

**AN:So hey... I'm very new at fanfiction. This one is my first. Also, don't be fooled by the length of this chapter. The next ones are _a lot_ longer.**

Kuroko Tetsuya was sprawled on his bed reading a book. After a while, he got off his bed and made his way to the kitchen while looking back on everything that happened with _them. _Back in middle school, the six of them had started out as friends. But then all that changed, with a certain person suffering from a drastic personality change. At first, he had completely given up on them ever returning to normal after he witnessed the incident with Ogiwara-kun. He felt depressed and even quit the basketball team right after, while at the same time trying to keep as much distance as possible between himself and the five prodigies. Especially _him. _ For some time, he grieved the old days when they all enjoyed basketball together. However, one day, he realised that this was wrong. He wanted them to be together again. To watch Aomine bicker with Kise. To hear Murasakibara ask him for snacks. He even missed seeing Midorima with his, yet again, ridiculous lucky item. He missed _his _rare smiles the most. From that day onward, he made a decision. He vowed to himself to return them to how they were before, to make them remember their love for basketball. And if the only way was to make them taste defeat for the first time, then so be it. He told himself he was doing this for everyone, ignoring the part of him that screamed that there was something else behind his determination.

It was on his last year of middle school when he decided to enter Seirin high. Being a recently opened school, it did not have a great record of victories and whatnot. But they had potential, as they had shown it the previous year by making it to the final league. Those were the reasons Kuroko chose his current school. He thought to himself he would show the Generation of Miracles their arrogant behaviour was not right by taking a new school to the top, above them.

He had made the right decision. His encounter with Kagami-kun had proven him that. In a way, he had kind of hit the jackpot. He had found someone who could bring out his abilities. Yes, the other players in his team were good but without Kagami-kun, it would have been considerably harder for him to beat his former teammates. His abilities as a "shadow" depended on his "light". He had found his "light" and a close friend in Kagami-kun, a player capable of beating even the infamous Generation of Miracles. If it weren't for Kagami-kun, he also couldn't have mastered his Vanishing Drive or his Phantom Shot. He was extremely grateful to his friend for allowing him even if unconsciously to reach his goal: returning his Teiko teammates to their former selves.

He put water to boil in a kettle and waited for it to finish. As he waited, he let his thoughts roam around. He almost choked on his own saliva when he caught himself thinking too much about _him._ He refused to admit he was thinking more and more of a certain person. No, he wasn't missing him at all. That was a stupid speculation. Right?

He was startled out of his reverie when he heard the kettle emitting a really loud noise. The water was ready. He poured himself a cup of tea and leaned on the counter. As much as he loved vanilla milkshakes, even he had to admit that it was not an appropriate time to drink one. He didn't want to get sick after all. They had an early basketball practice the next morning and if he missed, Riko would have his head. He finished his drink and was starting to return to his room when he heard his phone ring. Going over to pick it up, he didn't bother to check the caller's ID and was startled when he heard the rich, velvet like voice at the other end of the line.

_-Good evening, Tetsuya._

**AN: I hope you liked it! Please review!  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Uhmm... well, welcome to the next chapter! First of all, I'm very sorry if my chapters are short, but I'm really new at writing fanfictions, this is a first for me. Also, English isn't my first language so please bear any spelling or grammar mistakes this story may have. I have also been told my style of writing can be weird so I apologise if this bothers anyone. Last thing, I don't own Kuroko no basket. Now on with the story!**

"_Good evening, Tetsuya."_

"Akashi-kun?" he answered. To a normal person, his voice would have sounded emotionless. But Akashi Seijuuro was not a normal person. His surprise seemed to have leaked out despite his best efforts to hide it, as he could _feel _the other smirking at the other end of the line.

"_Yes, it's been a while, hasn't it?" _he said with the same infuriating smirk in his voice.

"It's only been two weeks Akashi-kun." He answered when he regained his composure. He heard the other chuckle.

"_Is that so? It seems as if it was months ago when we last spoke to each other." _Kuroko just stayed silent.

"_I was just calling to see how you were doing."_ he said after a while. Kuroko got confused at this, as Akashi never called unless it was to ask (order) something. And so he questioned him.

"But Akashi-kun only calls when he has business with any of us." he countered.

"_So I'm only allowed to call when I need something from you? That's rather cold even for you, Tetsuya." _he teased. "_At any rate, you still haven't answered my question." _Kuroko frowned at this but answered anyway.

"I'm doing fine Akashi-kun. But if the reason of Akashi-kun's call isn't business, then why _did_ you call?" he answered with slight irritation in his voice. It was rather late and he needed to get up early tomorrow, Riko was a scary person when you were late. Of course, this didn't go unnoticed by Akashi who chuckled yet again.

"_I was just wondering if you were free tomorrow." _he asked. The teal-head's eyes widened slightly at this. Why would he want to know that? He contemplated on that before answering cautiously.

"I have an early basketball practice. I don't have anything planned besides that." He frowned. "Why is Akashi-kun interested in my schedule for tomorrow?" Akashi just replied in that smooth voice of his.

"_The reason is simple, Tetsuya. I will be in Tokyo tomorrow and while in the morning I have personal issues to attend to, I am free in the afternoon. It's been a long time and I want to spend some time with you. It seems we are both free so we will meet in the afternoon. Is that all right with you?" _Kuroko wasn't stupid. He knew Akashi was not asking but _demanding _for him to accept. And he did with, surprisingly, only slight annoyance. He wasn't really mad, just irked he had not been notified of their meeting beforehand. After all, who was he to contradict his captain? Wait, _former _captain but still, he had a lot of respect for the read-head. He was the top in every one of his classes back in middle school and he was ready to bet it hadn't changed when he entered high school. Not to mention he _was _the captain of the generation of miracles. He was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard Akashi's voice.

"_Well?" _he pressed.

"Yes Akashi-kun. I believe my practice was supposed to be a long one but it should be finished by then." he answered, ignoring his rapidly beating heart.

"_Perfect. We will meet at two in the afternoon at that restaurant you like. I believe it was called Maji Burger?"_ he responded. While wondering how in the world he knew that particular information, he confirmed the read-head's appointed time and place.

"You are correct, as always." he mumbled the last part to himself. Akashi heard it, however, and smiled. It almost seemed to say, _I win._

"_Good. You were saying you were about to go up to your room, isn't that right? I will let you rest then, as you will need the energy for your practice tomorrow." _he answered.

"If you say so, Akashi-kun." he replied.

"_And Tetsuya, dress sharply for tomorrow." _His face scrunched up in confusion at hearing this. Dress sharply as in wear formal clothes? What for? What had Akashi planned?

"Did I hear you right, Akashi-kun? Did you say I have to dress formally for tomorrow?" he asked.

"_Yes, Tetsuya." _he answered, amusement evident in his voice.

"But why?" he pressed.

"_You will see tomorrow. Good night, Tetsuya." _With that, he finalised the conversion, making him frown even more.

"Good night, Akashi-kun." The call ended and he hung up the phone with butterflies in his stomach.

He stayed there for a while reminiscing the conversation he just had. After their victory in the winter cup, Akashi had somewhat returned to how he was in their first year of middle school. Although his golden eye was still present, his personality was much warmer than during the winter cup. His eyes had also warmed up too. Kuroko even came to like that honey-colored orb. His smiles became more frequent too. Even he who didn't see him often had noticed it. He tried his very best to ignore the butterflies but to his dismay, the more he thought about it, the more there were. He started to mentally shoot them down. But seriously, why would Akashi ask him to dress formally? _Damn_, he cursed. The butterflies had overwhelmed him, he had lost the war. _"Maybe I'm sick?" _he thought to himself.

"I need another cup of tea." he mumbled. He poured himself another cup. Thankfully, the water was still warm enough. Cup in hand, he returned to his room and practically dropped himself on top of his bed. His last phone call had drained him of all his energy. He really needed to sleep. Grabbing at the remaining of his strength, he pushed himself out of bed before stripping himself of his sweatpants and t-shirt. With only his boxers on, he went to the bathroom to take a quick shower, he didn't want to stink. He quickly scrubbed his body and turned off the water. He took a towel and fastened it around his waist. He stepped out of the bathroom and swiftly dressed in his pyjamas. He walked to his bed with heavy eyes and groaned when he remembered how early he had to wake up the next day. He checked the time on his alarm clock. 12:00 pm. His conversation with Akashi-kun was longer than what he had first thought. Sighting, he set his alarm clock for 6:00 am the next morning. He needed to wake up early if he wanted to be at practice in time. As he lay in bed and closed his eyes, a bad feeling suddenly crept up his spine. Hi didn't have time to ponder on it though, as sleep quickly overcame his senses.

_He was staring deeply into heterochromatic eyes. _

_The read-head was saying something but he couldn't hear anything, he could only watch as his lips moved._

_Slender fingers cupped his cheeks._

_Their faces were slowly inching closer._

_His own mouth parted open to allow him to talk._

"_Akashi-kun, I-_

He woke up with a start. What was that all about? Kuroko blushed heavily as he remembered his dream. Why would he even dream such scandalous things? It's not like he wanted that to happen! The more he thought about it, the redder his face became. "_Snap out of it!"_ he told himself. "_It was just a dream. It didn't mean anything"_ he repeated like a mantra. He half-buried his face in his pillow when he remembered he would be spending the afternoon with said heterochromatic eyed person. He could just hope that he would have completely forgotten the dream by then.

As if that would happen.

Suddenly, he got the feeling something was wrong. He looked to the left where his nightstand with his alarm clock was located. If his face had looked like a tomato merely seconds ago, it was now as white as a sheet. He shot out of bed at breakneck speed and hurried to put all the things he needed for practice in his bag. Why hadn't the alarm waked him up?! He had set it for 6:00am and it was now 7:03am! Practice started in less than 20 minutes! He changed clothes as fast as he could and stumbled his way to the kitchen. Forget about breakfast, he was already running late! Oh, he was in deep trouble. Riko wouldn't hesitate to use her dangerous clutches on him. He abruptly stopped when he remembered the read-head's words the night before. _"Dress sharply for tomorrow."_ He hurried to his room and pulled his tuxedo out of his closet. He didn't really use it, but his parents had been adamant about him owning one and he found himself thanking them. Without them, he would have nothing to wear that described as formal no time to pack it away, he grabbed it and hurried to the entrance of his house. He quickly put on his shoes and practically ran out of the house after locking it. He prayed he wouldn't be _too_ late.

"KU-RO-KO-KUN!" He cringed when he heard the angry and annoyed voice of his coach. He almost took a step back when he saw the creepily sweet smile Riko had. In the end, he had arrived 20 minutes late. God knows he had tried his best to arrive as fast as he could. However, it seems fate just wasn't in his favour. Once he arrived, Riko was already pissed off. It seemed he wasn't the only one who had woken up late. Kagami-kun, Koganei-senpai and surprisingly, Izuki-senpai too had all arrived late. The only exception being they had arrived five minutes earlier than him. And because of that slight time gap, he was getting the short end of the stick. He had tried to get past her and Hyuga-senpai by using his misdirection, but Riko was so mad it didn't have an effect on her and she caught him easily.  
Too easily. With dread, he anticipated his punishment as Riko looked him over with malevolent eyes.

"You have guts Kuroko-kun!" she started. "You are the fourth person who dared to arrive late!" she continued, unnervingly cheerful. "Ku-ro-ko-kun, your training menu is tripled! Be glad I'm letting you off easy. Now go change and make it quick!" she announced with an evil smile on her face. His shoulders dropped and he hurriedly made his way to the changing rooms. He pushed open the doors and was greeted by the view of his three sort of partners in crime changing with discouraged expressions. He set his bag on a bench and greeted his teammates.

"Good morning, Kagami-kun, Koganei-senpai, Izuki-senpai."

"KUROKO!" they shouted at the same time. He internally smirked; it was fun scaring his team.

"Don't do that again, idiot! You almost gave me a heart attack! Since when are you here anyway? " was Kagami's immediate reply after he recovered from the shock. He approached Kuroko with a scowl on his face.

"I apologise, Kagami-kun." he replied with absolutely no remorse in his voice. "I just arrived here a moment ago." he continued.

"So you arrived late too, huh?" Koganei-senpai butted in. He then looked at Kuroko with eyes full of pity. "We three arrived at the same time, so the coach doubled our entire training menu. Since you arrived ten minutes later, I bet your punishment is worse." he said.

"...she tripled mine. " Kuroko's shoulder slumped even further. The four of them looked at each other and sighted.

"Hey, Kuroko. Is that a suit you have? Why would you need one? It's obvious it isn't for practice." Izuki, who had stayed silent for the rest of the conversation, spoke up.

Kagami looked at Kuroko. "Hey you're right! I didn't notice. "

"You never notice anything Kagami." teased Koganei.

"Hey!" Kagami responded while furrowing his brows.

Kuroko intervened before it got out of hand. "It's not for practice." he confirmed. "I will be meeting ...an acquaintance of mine after practice is over and he asked me to dress formally." He tried his best to keep his voice emotionless but he hesitated just before announcing his _acquaintance._

"...Why'd you hesitate?" asked kagami who seemed to become perceptive at the wrong moment. Three pair of eyes turned towards him.

"..."

"..."

"...I did not hesitate." he finally replied.

"Yes you did." they all answered at the same time. He was about to deny it when they heard various knocks at the door.

"What's taking you so long?!" came their coach's scary voice. "Hurry up or I'll make it worse for all of you!" and with that they heard her footsteps leaving the changing rooms. They hurried their butts off and completely forgot about the discussion they were having seconds ago. Needless to say, Kuroko was relieved. He didn't know how his team would react to the news that he was going out with Akashi in the afternoon. Sure, they had beaten Rakuzan but some of them still had slight grudges. Namely Kagimi-kun. If he told him who he was meeting, he would surely flip out and say "You're going out with that psycho?!" He still wasn't over the incident with the scissors. And of course, Akashi would never apologise. "_They're both idiots."_ he thought to himself. He finished changing and put away his suit and his bag in a locker.

The four boys stepped out of the changing room and into the gym where the rest of the team was already practicing their shoots or increasing their stamina.

"There you are!" toned Riko. "I was waiting for you!" she continued. A chill went up their spine when she smiled evilly. "For you four, I have decided today would be stamina training!" The four boys mentally shouted and stared pleadingly towards Hyuga who was standing just behind Riko. He looked them in the eye and shook his head. _I don't want to end up like you either. Sorry, but you're alone on this one._ Their jaws dropped. _Traitor!_

"Now start running! Do one hundred laps around the gym and don't come back before you finish!" Riko said. _"They deserve it, for arriving late." _she thought. The four players sighted one last time before starting their laps. As he began running, one thought entered Kuroko's mind. "_It's all Akashi-kun's fault."_

**AN: So...yeah. I hope you liked it. Also, please, **_**please**_** leave a review! It's my first time posting anything and I don't have anyone who could be my beta reader, so you're comments mean a lot to me! They are the only way I could improve my writing. So please, it will only take 2 minutes of your time. Also, I'm very sorry if the dialogues are awkward. They are my biggest difficulty in writing and it takes me a lot of time to write them. Well, thank you for reading and I hope you stick with this fic!**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Here's the third chapter! First of all, I want to thank you Rinfantasy, Yingyang555, Akakuro Seiya and ShinseiShinwa for your reviews! It really made my day. I can see now why it's important for authors to receive feedback. Thank you again. Also thank you to all who read, favourite and followed this story, you guys are great! **

"Alright guys, we're done here! Don't forget to eat well to replenish your energies. The next practice will be in two days. You're dismissed!"

Practice had been hell. Kuroko couldn't remember the last time he had worked so hard. It sure wasn't in Seirin. It was all because Riko had been adamant about making their practice as hard as it could get without them dying. And of course, he had to do thrice the amount as much. Needless to say, he was exhausted beyond belief. And famished. As he panted and tried to hold in what his stomach didn't have, he came to the conclusion that it had been a bad idea to skip breakfast that morning. He felt dizzy and his legs were wobbly. His short stamina didn't help. He understood why Riko had done this to all the team. She didn't want them to become all arrogant like the five prodigies after they won the winter cup. He approved of that, but he wished she wouldn't be so harsh with her punishments. He had only arrived late for god's sake! He would never dare voice his thoughts aloud though, as he didn't want his next training menu to be tripled too. He made his way to the changing rooms along with the rest of his team albeit more slowly. As he sat on a bench, Kagami approached him. The power forward player had been surprisingly compassionate and had stuck with Kuroko and did the same amount of training as him. It may have something to do about him wanting to improve his jumps though.

"You alright there? You seem exhausted." He started. Kuroko still hadn't managed to regain his breath completely and stared at him with a _No, seriously? _face. Kagami grinned.

"It wasn't even that hard." he continued, offering him a banana, which he gladly accepted.

"Says the one who was sprawled on the floor merely minutes ago." muttered Koganei.

"Hey!" countered Kagami, embarrassed. Seeing this, Kiyoshi, ever the pacifist, intervened.

"Now now, you shouldn't be fighting each other! We're here to have fun, remember?" he announced, effectively calming the two boys. He then noticed that Kuroko, who had just stepped outside of a shower and was sitting next to Kagami, was not changing into the clothes he had arrived in. Instead, he was taking a dark blue, three piece suit out of a locker and was starting to put it on. The suit had a light blue dress shirt and a matching white tie. His shiny black dress shoes seemed to be in his bag.

"Kuroko, why are you putting on a suit? Are you going somewhere fancy after this? I though your parents lived abroad?" he asked with curiosity evident in his voice. All eyes immediately turned towards Kuroko. "_What luck."_ the teal-head though. He was hoping he wouldn't be seen wearing formal clothes and he would be able to escape with his misdirection. It seemed that wasn't going to be the case. He wondered if he'd get out of this one by not really explaining his plans. Probably not.

"That's right! You never answered Kuroko and we completely forgot about it when Riko came to get us!" exclaimed Izuki.

"You mean you already knew Kuroko had brought a suit?" asked Tsuchida.

"Yeah, we saw it when we were changing. You guys didn't see it 'cause the rest of you actually arrived on time." This time, it was Koganei who answered. The rest of the team made "_Oh"_'s in understanding before Kagami spoke up.

"There is no escape now. Tell what us you're doing and who you're meeting after this with those clothes." pressed Kagami. Kuroko felt slightly irritated his teammates where so nosy but he couldn't really blame them. How often did one of them walk in with a tuxedo in hand? He answered vaguely like earlier that day.

"I told you I was meeting an acquaintance of mine after practice." he repeated.

"Then who is this _acquaintance _of yours that asks you to dress so formally?" asked Koganei. Kuroko was starting to become slightly nervous with the way they were all looking at him, like he was a piece of meat and they were starving. Starving for gossip that is. He wondered why teammates were acting like girls. He kept his mouth shut though, it wouldn't help his situation if he said that out loud. Still, he couldn't divulge who he was meeting later. At least not right now. After his little outing with Akashi had taken place, maybe he would. He responded slowly.

"... That I cannot say." They all stared at him even more.

"Aha! I knew you were hiding something!" exclaimed proudly Kagami. "It was weird seeing you walk in with _those _clothes." His face scrunched up at this. Who would even want to wear those uncomfortable clothes?

"Kagami is right for once." started Izuki, ignoring the "Hey!" he got from the red-head. "It _is _weird. Now spill it, Kuroko. We all want to know and I'm sure you know we will not let you leave until you tell us." he finished. Hums and "Yeah"'s were heard throughout the room. Now he really started to worry. Akashi had arranged for them to meet at 2:00 pm. It was now 1:30 and he still hadn't finished changing. Worst part was he knew his team was capable of doing just that. They really would stop him from leaving and he would be late. No can do. He needed to find a way to escape from there. Sadly, it seems there was no way out except the door and his teammates were all blocking him. Even his misdirection wouldn't be enough. He needed a miracle.

"Guys, leave Kuroko alone. He has the right to have a private life without you all butting in. He said he had an appointment and you won't even let him finish changing." anounced Hyuga. In Kuroko's mind, the boy became a saint. They all turned towards Kuroko to find him with only his pants and two of his shirt's buttons done. "Now, you will all let him finish changing and leave. Is that clear?!" he continued.

"But Hyugaaa!" the team whined.

"No buts, idiots!" he lectured them. They all grumbled.

"Thank you, Hyuga-senpai." Kuroko told him.

"No problem. Those idiots need to learn some manners. At any rate, I know you don't want to really tell us who you're meeting with but remember we're all here, alright?" he replied.

Kuroko smiled. "Yes, thank you very much." He said while bowing.

"I told it was nothing" he answered, grinning. "Hear that, idiots?"

"Y-yes" was the entire team's reply, still slightly shaken at being caught eavesdropping.

"Good." Hyuga finished. At that, Kuroko remembered he needed to leave soon if he wanted to arrive on time to Maji Burger. He hurriedly finished buttoning up his blue dress shirt and put on his black shoes. He tied his white tie around his neck and straightened the cuffs. Once he was finished he turned and bid farewell to the rest of his team. They answered him with "Bye"'s and "See ya"'s. Some of them even commented on how he strangely looked good in it. He thanked them before making his way outside of the changing rooms. He checked his watch. 1:45pm. It seemed he was going to arrive on time. With that in mind, he started a comfortable pace to Maji Burger.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

He arrived at exactly 2:00. He didn't expect Akashi to already be there and he had to wait for another five minutes before said red-head arrived. He spent that time wondering why he had to dress as such. He was brought back into the real world when he heard a hypnotising voice.

"Good afternoon, Tetsuya. I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long." came the sudden greeting. Kuroko watched as Akashi made his way towards him after stepping out of a luxurious looking car. He calmed his beating heart before answering.

"I just got here." he confirmed. "It's nice seeing you, Akashi-kun." He greeted back.

"Likewise." was the immediate reply. He didn't understand why his heart did somersaults. Maybe he really was sick? It had happened to him the night before when they talked on the phone too. He was seriously starting to consider making an appointment with a doctor.

"I must say, that tuxedo really suits you. The colour of your dress shirt is almost the same as your eyes and it makes them stand out." Akashi continued. Kuroko blinked before blushing slightly, he had forgotten for a moment what he was wearing. He thanked the red-head before taking this opportunity to observe the other's attire. Akashi was wearing a black suit with a grey dress shirt. A bright, scarlet tie was tied around his neck. Black, glossy shoes completed his outfit. Kuroko had to admit, Akashi was _gorgeous. _It was as if that particular style of clothes was made solely for him. Then again, did Akashi ever look bad? Not that he could remember. His heart rate just kept speeding up.

"Tetsuya, are you hungry?" asked the red-head. Kuroko was about to deny when his stomach grumbled. He blushed yet again when his former captain chuckled. It seemed he was highly amused by his predicament.

"I will take that a yes." he concluded before leading the teal-head to the back seat of the car he had come in. It seemed there was a driver ready to take them wherever they needed. Akashi sat beside him and told the driver to lead them to _Il Forno Caldo. _

"It's a very good Italian restaurant." he explained. "I believe you will like the food." Kuroko got a bit worried. Could he afford it? Sure, he had brought money but he didn't know if he had enough...

"That's good, but is it pricey, Akashi-kun? If it is, maybe I will not be able to pay..." he told him.

"No worries. The food is not very expensive but if you don't have enough, I will gladly pay for you. I was the one who chose the restaurant anyway." the red-head replied. Kuroko was slightly bothered someone else might be paying for his own food in the future but he was glad nonetheless. He was really hungry because he hadn't eaten breakfast and since Akashi had talked about it, he was craving Italian food.

"Alright then. Thank you, Akashi-kun." he answered with a small smile.

"It's my pleasure." reassured the red-head.

The rest of the ride was spent in comfortable silence until they arrived at the restaurant_._

XOXOXOXOXOXO

The car stopped in front of a big, nice looking building. It was cream-colored and in the front it had a big cauldron-shaped sign with the words _Il Forno Caldo_ written on it in pastel colours. Cars were already parked in the parking lot despite the unusual time. And there were a lot of them too. Kuroko wondered if they would even have a free table. As if reading his mind, Akashi spoke up.

"Don't worry, I'm a regular costumer. They will find us a table rapidly." he explained. The teal-head calmed down at hearing this. If Akashi said they would have a table, then he shouldn't worry about it.

"If you say so, Akashi-kun." he complied. They both stepped out of the car and made their way towards the entrance. As they arrived, they realised there was a slight waiting line to get in. They were about to get in line with the rest of the costumers when a staff member spotted them and gestured for them to approach.

"Akashi-san! It's nice to see you again. You have perfect timing, a table has just been cleared and lucky you, it's on the terrace!" the middle-aged lady announced. She started heading towards their table when Akashi's voice interrupted her.

"But Sakura-san, we have just arrived here and there are people who have been waiting longer than us. We won't mind if we wait a little. Right, Kuroko?" he looked in his direction and the teal-head nodded.

"Nonsense!" exclaimed the waitress. "You are one of our regular costumers. It would be impolite not to assign you and your companion a table as soon as possible." And with that, she turned her back to them and started leading them towards their seats.

"I told you we would get a table quickly." whispered the red-head to Kuroko with a smirk. Kuroko just resisted the urge to roll his eyes and observed their eating place instead. It was a beautiful restaurant. It had a warm atmosphere and was full of laughing and content people. The walls were made of cream-colored stones with paintings here and there and the floor was made of dark brown, ceramic tiles. The tables that were scattered in different places were round with a black, red and white tablecloth over them. On top of it was another green tablecloth except this one was much smaller. It covered the top of the table and fell slightly on the sides. The chairs were made of wood and had comfortable-looking red cushions. The cutlery was already in place.

The three of them went past the inside and arrived to what seemed to be the terrace. Kuroko found it a bit odd the terrace was in the middle of the building, few were the restaurants that were designed in that manner. The big square they were in had no roof. In the middle of it there was a big tree that almost completely covered the open space where the roof was supposed to be, while at the same time letting the sun's rays pass through. Lamps hanged on the walls and let out a faint yellow glow. It gave the terrace a private yet pleasant atmosphere. Although he didn't show it, Kuroko was impressed with the design of the restaurant. He had rarely, if ever, been in such a nice place. The waitress led them to a table besides the tree's trunk and left to go get the menus. The two boys sat down.

"Nice place, isn't it? I came to this restaurant for the first time in our third year of middle school. Since then, I've been coming here regularly even if it was harder to do so when I moved to Kyoto." Akashi started.

"It truly is a nice place. The design and decorations are beautiful." Kuroko replied, referring to the painting of an Italian landscape that was across from them. The red-head smiled and nodded.

"Yes. I find the atmosphere of this restaurant calm and pleasant." he said before the waitress arrived with two menus in one hand and a tray with glasses of water. She gave them the menus and set up one glass for each of them.

"Well then, I will leave you to choose what you will have and I'll be back in five minutes." With that said, she left to go tend to other costumers. Both boys opened the menus and started to browse through the choices that were offered to them while occasionally sipping at their glasses. There were many things ranging from the typical pastas and pizzas to more filling food like meat. There was also a large variety of appetisers and desserts. Kuroko was glad it wasn't that expensive, he should be able to afford it with the money he had at the moment. He discretely checked how much money he had, missing the red-head's smile.

"Did you choose, Tetsuya?" he heard. He lifted his face and was greeted with an intense heterochromatic stare. He swallowed.

"Yes, Akashi-kun. Have you?" he asked

"I most certainly have." Akashi replied. At that moment, the waitress came to take their orders.

"Well then boys, have you decided what you will be having today?" she asked. Akashi spoke up first.

"Yes, I will be having a _Rotolo di Ricotta e Spinaci.*"_ he turned towards Kuroko and asked him what he would like to eat.

"And I'll have a _Ravioli di Carne*. _"the teal-head concluded. The waitress took note of both their orders and asked if they wanted something to drink.

"I will be fine with only water. What about you, Tetsuya?" asked Akashi.

"Me too, Akashi-kun." answered Kuroko. The waitress nodded.

"Alright then, one _Rotolo di Ricotta e Spinaci _and one _Ravioli di Carne _coming right up." she then left after refilling their glasses. They both remained in comfortable for a while until Akashi spoke up.

"How is school, Tetsuya?" he asked after taking a sip of his recently-refilled glass. Kuroko was a bit startled at this; he wasn't expecting Akashi to ask such a question.

"It's going fine, Akashi-kun. Though our basketball practices have been getting harder and harder." he answered. And no, he wasn't complaining at all.

The red-head smiled. "You always did have a poor stamina." he half-reprimanded. "I wonder if I should take you to a gym later on and solve that problem?" he teased. Kuroko frowned slightly at this, he knew how hard Akashi's training menus were.

"I will pass, thank you very much, our suits would be ruined anyway." he countered. The other just chuckled. What he said then registered in his mind. That's right! He was wearing a suit and he still didn't know the reason. He doubted it was because of this restaurant. Sure, it was slightly chic but not enough for them to dress this formally. He actually felt a bit overdressed, considering he was just a teenager.

"Akashi-kun, could you explain to me now why we're wearing a suit? It's not because of this restaurant is it?" he asked the red-head. The other smiled mischievously, as if he had been waiting for him to ask.

"You are right, Tetsuya. I didn't ask you to wear a suit so we could eat here. However, you will need for our next... activity." he answered. Kuroko found it suspicious how he had paused slightly. He wondered whatthis _activity_ was. As if on cue, the waitress returned with their orders. A delicious smell filled Kuroko's nostrils.

"Here you go!" she exclaimed cheerfully as she set the plates on the table.

"Thank you, Sakura-san." said Akashi. The lady looked at him and smiled, while refilling their glasses yet again.

"Not at all! Now enjoy!" and with that she left them to their devices. Kuroko looked at his plate. The pasta looked very good with that sauce all over them. He took his fork and started eating. Across from him, he saw Akashi doing the same. _"Oh wow" _he thought. His food was delicious. If he had any doubts the food wasn't good, they all flew out of his head at that moment. He must have looked happy for Akashi stopped eating and smirked victoriously.

"Told you it was good." he commented. Kuroko just nodded, too busy eating. He heard Akashi laugh slightly and his heartbeat sped up a notch. He wondered why that happened so often lately.

Through their meal, they held various conversations. The talked about the weather, school, basketball and Kuroko tried to coax an answer out of Akashi about the suits again, failing miserably. He didn't really ask him, just inquired subtly. But the red-head's lips seemed to be sealed shut as he skillfully evaded the subject. Kuroko sighted, he really was curious. But it seemed Akashi was not planning on enlightening him any time soon. He sighted again.

"Why do you sight, Tetsuya?" asked Akashi. In Kuroko's perceptive, the red-head was having way too much fun at his expense. His innocent smile didn't fool him one bit. He knew Akashi was aware of the reason he sighted. His former captain just wanted to tease him and he made quite obvious by the stare he gave him. And so he decided to be blunt.

"I do so because Akashi-kun refuses to tell me why we are wearing formal clothes despite me almost pleading up to him." he stated accusingly. The red-head seemed pleased and somewhat victorious, as if he had expected for him to burst.

"As blunt as always, I see." was his response. "But still, it will be better if it remains a surprise. Just be a little more patient, it won't be long before we leave. Actually, it seems there won't be any time for desert if we want to arrive on time." he said while checking his _very nice _watch. "To make up for it, how about I treat you to a cafe later on? It has recently opened and I heard they sell very good milkshakes." he temped. At such tantalising offer, Kuroko just couldn't refuse. He nodded his consent but he couldn't help feeling he had been bribed and manipulated.

"Good." was the red-head's reply. Seeing they were both finished eating, he called the waitress over to pay their bills. She arrived shortly and handed them each a separate bill before leaving after wishing them a good afternoon. Kuroko brought out his wallet and paid in full, though he didn't have much money after it. Across from him, Akashi did the same and they both got up, preparing to leave but not without leaving a generous tip behind. As they made their way towards the exit, Kuroko spoke up.

"Thank you for bringing me here, Akashi-kun. It was a very good meal." he started. The red-head turned his head towards him and smiled slightly.

"You are welcome." he answered calmly, with something in his voice Kuroko didn't recognised. He didn't have time to dwell on it though, as they had reached the restaurant's doors. Kuroko didn't know when Akashi had called his driver but the car was already waiting for them. His former captain made his way towards it and beckoned for him to follow. They got inside the car for a second time that day and settled comfortably. The car driver started the engine without even consulting Akashi. They went through various twists and turns before Kuroko couldn't take it anymore; he seemed to be the only one who didn't have a clue where they were going.

"Akashi-kun." he started firmly. "I believe I have waited long enough. I want to know where we are going." he demanded. Under normal circumstances, the red-head would have been pissed to be ordered around like that. But this was _Kuroko_. He looked outside the window, they were almost there. He smirked.

"Impatient are we?" He had to contain his laughter. "Alright then. I will tell you what you want to know." His smirk grew wider. "The reason why I asked you to wear a suit is because," the car stopped at that moment, they had arrived. "we are going to the theater." he finished.

**AN: Well there you have it. I hope you appreciated this chapter. Now these are some definitions.**

_**Rotolo di Ricotta e Spinaci: **_**Homemade pasta filled with ricotta cheese and spinach in a light sauce.**

_**Ravioli di Carne: **_**Handmade ravioli filled with sautéed beef and vegetables in a meat sauce.**

**Again I thank you for reading this story, you don't know how much it means to me to have someone read my work. Also I don't know how often I will be able to update. These last few days were sort of a weekend for me and I don't think I will be able to update that quickly anymore. I'll try to do it once a week but I can't promise anything. Also, I know I'm repeating myself but please leave a review, it helps a lot with motivation. And lastly, I'm not sure how many people will answer but I will ask anyway. For the next chapter, would you prefer a sweet, cute scene or maybe one with a jealous Kuroko? Well, until nest chapter!**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Hey guys! I'd like to thank all of you who reviewed and answered my question. It helped me decide what I wrote in this chapter. Also, if anyone is disappointed in my decision then I'm sorry but I promise that in this story there will be jealous moments and sweet moments. You guys just helped me decide the order in which I'd write them. So never fear! Now for chapter 4!**

Kuroko stared at Akashi, trying to decide if he was messing with him. But then again, this was Akashi he was dealing with and he couldn't think of a valid reason as to why he would joke about that. Besides, why else would he be wearing a suit? At the moment, he felt a bit stupid; he should have seen it coming. After all, Akashi was rich and always went over the top with _everything_, be it positive or negative. He was that type of person, very passionate. He looked past the red-head and saw that they were indeed at the theatre. He frowned.

"The theatre? But Akashi-kun, I don't have enough money on me at the moment to pay the entrance fee." he protested. The other just smiled.

"I didn't expect you to." he started. "There's no need for you to pay. I have already made reservations." he stated. Still, Kuroko felt it was too much to have Akashi pay for him the entrance fee.

"But how much did this cost you Akashi-kun? It couldn't have been cheap. Even if the reservations are made, I still need to pay you back." he insisted. The red-head merely shrugged him off and ushered him out of the car. He dismissed his driver and turned towards the heal-headed boy.

"Nonsense. I was the one who called you here today, this is the least I could do. Now let's go, the play will start shortly." and with that, he made his way to the entrance of the theatre. Kuroko sighted, recognising the "_Drop the subject" _tone his former captain used. He made a mental note to still bring it up later. He quickened his pace so he could walk besides the taller male. But strangely, even if he was a bit upset Akashi would be paying for him, he felt strangely happy. He wondered why. Kuroko was so engrossed in his thinking; he missed the red-head's smirk. _"The pieces have started moving,"_

XOXOXOXOXOXO

As they arrived at the entrance, a man in a black tuxedo opened the glass doors for them and invited them in. They stepped on a red carpet and entered the theatre. Kuroko was flaggerbasted. The theatre seemed like something out of a movie. It had been had been a long time since he had been to one and he had forgotten what it was like. The ceiling was dark brown and higher than most buildings and everywhere you looked you could see people dressed in their best clothes. The men wore costumes much like their own and the ladies wore either long, flowing dresses or short, tight ones completed with high heels. The floor was black marble. There was a big, shiny chandelier hanging over their heads and there were a lot of expensive looking paintings hanging on the walls. On one side of the room there was a board with all the different plays that were presented at the theatre. The ticket booth sat at the back. Two different sets of stare cases lead to the upper floors. Kuroko wondered just how big it was. He was startled out of his musings when Akashi spoke to him.

"Tetsuya, pay attention to where you are going." the red-head admonished him. "The theatre is quite crowded today as it is the weekend. It wouldn't do us any good if you got lost. Not that I would have any trouble finding you but still, it would be better if we stayed together. Wouldn't you agree?" he asked. Kuroko looked down, embarrassed. He hoped it seemed to be because he was spacing out. In truth, he was slightly shaken about the _staying together _part. And that confused him. Why was he feeling this way? He didn't get it. They were just two friends who had gone out to catch up. Right? Ah! His head was messing with him. And of course, it was at that particular moment his mind decided to remember the dream he had last night. And he had finally managed to get his blush under control too! The same scene repeated itself one time after another and he was sure his face looked like a tomato at the moment. Unbeknown to him, the one responsible for his predicament was aware of his condition. _"Now what's this?" _He smirked somewhat sadistically.

"Tetsuya, are you alright?" the red-head started. "You seem rather red in the face. Do you have a fever?" he stated, approaching his face under the pretext to check his temperature. Kuroko mentally cursed. He wasn't one for whining but really, _"Why me?". _His face heated up even more if that was possible when Akashi's face got closer to his. He promptly jumped away and stammered, desperately trying to maintain his deadpan expression.

"I-I'm fine, Akashi-kun. T-There is no need for you to worry." he replied as best as he could. He avoided those mismatched eyes as he continued. "A-Anyway, what play will we be seeing?" he changed the subject. This didn't go unnoticed by the red-head who smirked internally. He let it slide for now.

"If you say so." he responded, taking a step back, much to Kuroko's relief and slight disappointment? "The play we will witness is called Make A Choice. Of its real name _Fais un choix_, it is a French play. You will have a brief description of the story when the announcer in our show room will announce the beginning of the play." With that said, he made his way to one of the boots that controlled the access to the upper floors. The receptionist, a man in his forties, spoke up.

"May I have your tickets please?" he asked. He seemed a bit surprised at seeing two high school students but Akashi paid him no mind. Who wouldn't be? Even he had to admit it was bizarre but both he and Tetsuya were a bit different. They preferred a library to an arcade for example. With that in mind, he had chosen to bring him to the theatre. He gave the man their tickets. The older man's eyes widened when he saw their tickets and he quickly instructed them on how to get to their auditorium. He thanked him and turned to Kuroko.

"Come on, Tetsuya. Our play will be held in the third floor." He started leading them up the three flights of stairs that separated them from their desired room. When they reached the third floor, they turned left and passed two more show rooms before arriving at the one that said Make A Choice. But instead of entering through the doors like the rest of the audience, Akashi made them go through a separate corridor just besides the main entrance. There was another boot were a lady could be seen with a stoic expression. Akashi wordlessly showed her their tickets and she nodded before stepping aside to let them pass. They did and that was when Kuroko started wondering where they were going. Suddenly, they arrived in front of a small door. Akashi pushed it open and turned towards Kuroko with a smile.

"After you." was his only explanation. Kuroko blushed slightly and entered, hearing the door close behind Akashi. He stared in front of him with disbelieving eyes. They were in a small, luxurious balcony that was closer to the stage than any other seat in the room. It was practically an extension of the stage except it was a bit higher. Dark red curtains shadowed their faces to the rest of the crowd but didn't obstruct their vision of the stage. Close to the edge but not too far out were two comfortable-looking red chairs.

"The lodge? Did Akashi-kun really reserve the _lodge_?" Kuroko inquired, still in awe that Akashi had done such a thing. The lodge was the most expensive set of seats one could reserve in a theatre, not many could afford them. The view was also the best. To have done something like that just for a simple outing...Kuroko was shocked and touched.

"Of course I did. You are a good friend of mine and I wanted you to have a good time. Besides, I wanted to apologise. When I lost control back then, I caused you great pain and it was wrong of me." he stated with a real smile in his face. To be honest, he hadn't planned on doing this but Kuroko had that effect on him. Ah, the things Kuroko made him do...

Kuroko didn't know what to say. Of course he would forgive him, that's what friends are for. But it seemed his voice didn't want to obey him and it took him a lot of effort to speak. Even then, he thought his voice cracked a little.

"A-Akashi-kun...Of course I'll forgive you. I also consider you a close friend and I wouldn't want to let the past get in between of that friendship." he answered, his poker face gone for the moment, letting out a bright, happy smile. They stared at each other for a while, both wearing broad smiles and with a joyful glint in their eyes. Kuroko thought that expression suited Akashi. The red-head on his part was truly happy to be forgiven. He didn't doubt Kuroko would, he was just that type of person, but he still felt like a burden he wasn't aware of was suddenly lifted off his shoulders. They both broke their gaze when they noticed the lights diminishing in intensity. Still feeling lightheaded, they made their way towards seats and sat down, one of them feeling contempt and the other feeling happy. They stared at each other one last time before they turned their attention to the stage where an announcement was made, briefly explaining the play.

The story was about a middle-aged man who had known many horrible and gruesome hardships through all his life. He had given up on ever finding happiness since every time he felt even remotely happy, he messed up, lost control and did horrible things that ended up hurting his beloved and himself. Then a young woman arrived in his life, giving him hope again. But because of the past he is unable to accept her, even if she is his only hope of salvation. Kuroko wondered about the play. It seemed it would a big psychological drama, as the story was focused on the guy's emotions. It would both be a normal play and there would be parts of classical dancing too. Somehow, he thought a play like that matched Akashi's personality. He didn't know where that came from but still, it was true. Said red-head turned towards him and he realised he had been staring.

"Is something the matter, Tetsuya?" he asked. He looked away a bit embarrassed at being caught staring.

"No, Akashi-kun. I was just wondering when the play will start. It has been a couple of minutes and the curtains haven't opened yet. "he lied. Akashi smiled.

"They make the announcements a couple of minutes before the play starts so that the actors can have the time to rehearse the parts that are more difficult for them and for a final check of the decorations. It should begin at any moment now." As if on cue, the whole room was immersed in darkness and the curtains revealed the true size of the stage. In Kuroko's opinion, it was enormous. Bigger than the ones he had seen in his life. The stage set was of a park with a university at the back. The play started with a beautiful yet sad song.

XOXOXOXOXO

During the first part of the show, both boys paid attention and were pleased with what they saw. The plot advanced smoothly, although sometimes they just wanted to shout at the guy for being such an idiot. But that was the point of the play. To make you ask yourself, yes you want to shout at him and tell him to just accept the girl, but if you were in his place, would you do it? Would you risk hurting someone dear to you just for your own wish? The play continued on in that manner, frustrating the audience and making them reflect until the intermission. When the curtains closed and the light came flooding back into the room, most of the people in the audience got up and left to take a quick break or to eat something. The two boys did the same. As they were walking on the corridor, Akashi spoke.

"What did you think of the first act, Tetsuya?" he asked. Kuroko turned to look at him and answered slowly.

"I think that the guy should just accept the girl." he replied, giving his honest opinion.

"Yes, but have you thought about his feelings? He is afraid of letting her in because he has already lost control before and doesn't want to risk that again." the red-head countered.

"I know that." Kuroko insisted. "But if he lets her get away, the only thing that makes him happy will disappear. Yes, he made mistakes in the past but he has finally found someone who accepts him in spite of that. Nobody is perfect and everyone deserves to be happy in my opinion." He finished. Akashi smiled. _"Typical Tetsuya."_

"Is that so? You are quite bold, making assumptions like that, Tetsuya." He laughed when he saw the other roll his eyes.

"Akashi-kun is very narcissistic." was the teal-head's flat reply.

"Now why would you say that? I was merely sating facts." he elucidated, not missing Kuroko's sigh and muttered "Sure." He smirked, feeling childishly victorious. Kuroko then asked him a question.

"What did _you _think about the play, Akashi-kun?" His smirk turned mischievous.

"It's a secret." he teased. Kuroko was irritated. Akashi just wouldn't answer any of his questions! He pouted slightly.

"You're not fair, Akashi-kun." he told him accusingly. His former captain's smirk just grew larger.

"I know." he said coyly. Kuroko just pouted even more. He looked in front of him and saw that they were near the drinks counter. Akashi followed his gaze and asked if he wanted something to drink.

"Thank you, Akashi-kun, but I don't want anything at the moment." he answered.

"If you say so, but I'm still going to buy two water bottles so that when you become thirsty you will have something to drink." he replied and went off to buy said drinks. Kuroko just observed his back while he walked away and watched him pay up. As usual, Akashi seemed to intimidate the people around him, even the adults. _"Some things never change." _thought Kuroko. When he thought about it, his former captain wasn't the Akashi from middle school, nor was he the one who had been at the winter cup. He had become a mixture of both Akashi's and the teal-head came to the conclusion that this was the real Akashi. He could be kind at times but he could also be terrifying if you pushed the wrong buttons. He found that he liked what his friend had become. The red-head quickly came back and gave him an odd look before extending a bottle. He received it gratefully and they both started making their way back towards the lodge. They arrived just in time before the lights diminished and the curtains opened, revealing the first part of the second act.

XOXOXOXOXO

The second act had all the audience sitting at the end of their seats. The psychological drama was at its peak. They were now at the end. They would finally know if Robert, the main character, accepted Anne.

"Oh Anne, I have to tell you something important" he started.

"And what would that be? Be it positive or negative I need to know. Come, tell me, and don't hesitate. Relieve of the burden of not knowing your answer." The entire crowd held their breath.

"My dear, sweet Anne, I-" And at that moment, the lights illuminating the stage turned off and the curtain closed, leaving the entire audience with their mouths hanging open and wanting more. One by one, the people started applauding and standing up, cheering for the actors and the play that had them so on edge. Akashi and Kuroko did the same, with the latter still dazed because of the ending. He found it unfair, how it had ended like that. The lights in the whole room light up and the curtain opened once more, revealing all the actors that performed. They bowed before being once again obscured. The cheering only got louder. After it died down, everybody started collecting their things so they could leave. Since they didn't have much, the two basketball players were among the first to leave. They made their way outside of the room and crossed the large, fancy hallway before making their way down the stairs. When they reached the first floor, they found a trashcan to throw out their now empty water bottles. They walked in the direction of the theatre's entranced and this time, it was a different man who opened the door for them. Like at the restaurant, their means of transportation was already waiting for them. Kuroko wondered if perhaps Akashi had texted the driver without him noticing or if the driver had really stayed there the whole time. As they strolled towards the car, Akashi spoke up.

"Now then, Tetsuya. I believe this is the perfect time to show you the cafe I mentioned earlier. It's close by and it is very good." At hearing those words, Kuroko remembered the red-head's promise to treat him to a milkshake and he eagerly nodded his head. Akashi chuckled and they both got inside the car. The red-head told his driver to lead them to the cafe _Guimauve._ The next five minutes were spent in comfortable silence before they arrived in front of a small building in the corner of a relatively calm street. They got out of the car and made their way to the entrance. On top of the door there was a steaming coffee cup with the word _Guimauve _written below it. The bell attached to the door rang as Akashi opened it and a faint smell of coffee hit their nostrils. A young waitress not much older than them greeted them and led them to a table for two in the middle of the cafe. It wasn't overly crowded and Kuroko was thankful for that. The waitress handed them a small menu and let them decide what they would be having. This time, it was Kuroko who made the decision first.

"I would want a vanilla milkshake and portion of apple pie please." he told the girl. She nodded and wrote it down. Akashi then lifted his face and spoke in a calm manner.

"I will have a cup of Earl-Grey tea and a slice of coffee cake." he finalised. The girl blushed slightly at seeing his handsome face but it went unnoticed and she left to get their orders. Meanwhile, the two basketball players took notes of their surroundings. They were in a modern yet classic cafe. It was only one story high but it was quite spacious. The walls were brown and the floor was made of parquet. Black and cream-colored decorations hung on the walls. The golden lamps were hovering above the tables. The chairs were green and the tables were a dark brown. In between some the tables there was a sort of glass wall that gave more privacy and separated the cafe in two parts. At the far end of one of the walls, there was a big, comfy-looking blue and brown stripped sofa where you could go sit if you were alone.

The waitress returned with both their orders and they didn't hesitate to start eating. What Akashi had said was true, it was very good. Kuroko had to admit, his milkshake was delicious. His apple pie was good as well. It was all crispy and sweet and the apples' flavour was really defined.

"Is it good, Tetsuya?" was the sudden question. He looked up just in time to see Akashi eat a spoonful of coffee cake. His eyes stared at his lips for a while and he saw them turn into a smirk before he answered in a hurry.

"Y-yes it is, Akashi-kun. Do you like it?" That smirk stayed in place.

"Oh yes, I find it delicious." he stated. He was enjoying himself and Kuroko was aware of it but he let it slide for now with a blush as his milkshake was too good for him to bother. Akashi smiled, amused. He resumed eating and took a sip of his tea. He hadn't lied, it was a good cafe. He made a mental note to come back here sometime. They both ate in comfortable silence for most of their time in the cafe, only interrupted by Akashi's occasional teasing. When they finished, the red-head called the waitress for the addition. He paid and motioned to Kuroko that they were leaving. Kuroko nodded and got up. They left a tip and strolled to the door. They exited the building and for the first time that day, there was no car waiting for them.

"I thought we'd walk to your house. It's only ten minutes from here." Akashi explained. Kuroko nodded, grateful. Walking sounded like a wonderful idea after what he had eaten. The red-head smiled and Kuroko started leading them towards his house. Not that Akashi didn't know where it was mind you but the teal-head knew the fastest way to get there. It was already dark outside. They walked in silence for a moment before Kuroko spoke.

"So... Akashi-kun. You return to Kyoto tomorrow, is that right?" he asked. The red-head turned to look at him but Kuroko refused to look him in the eye.

"Actually, I return today. Right after I accompany you to your house." he answered. Kuroko just nodded, not really knowing what to say. He was quiet for a while.

"When will I see you again?" he blurted out. He immediately felt embarrassed and ducked his head slightly. The red-head smiled and gazed at him warmly before stopping, they had arrived at his house. He took Kuroko by the shoulders and turned him to face him.

"I _know _we will see each other very soon, I promise." he told him sweetly.

"But Akashi-kun, you live very far away and-"

"Have I ever been wrong, Tetsuya?" he cut him off."Have I ever broken a promise I made to you?" he continued.

"No but-"

"Then why do you think I will do it this time?" he asked. He unconsciously embraced Kuroko, whose eyes widened. "I already told you, you're a good friend of mine, Tetsuya. I would not lie to you. We _will_ see each other again soon." he finished. He was a bit surprised when he felt smaller arms hold him close. He instinctively tightened his embrace and he felt a nod, indicating the smaller male acknowledged his words. The two of them stayed like that for a couple of minutes before they separated, instantly missing the other's body heat. Kuroko smiled.

"Thank you, Akashi-kun. For everything. Today was amazing and I had a lot of fun." he told the red-head. The other smiled, still having that warm glint that only Kuroko was allowed to see.

"You are welcome. I, too, had fun and I hope we can do that again sometime in the future." He replied. Kuroko nodded once more before parting from him.

"Good bye, Akashi-kun. Have a safe trip." He told him, opening his door. Akashi's car could already be seen in the distance.

"Good bye, Tetsuya. See you soon." The red-head smiled one final time before getting inside the car that had just arrived. Kuroko closed the door after watching the car disappear into the distance, not seeing that someone had witnessed part of the scene.

Still feeling a little disappointed, he went into his room and changed out of his suit and into his pyjamas. He could take a shower in the morning. He was tired and he had already taken a shower before meeting Akashi. The mention of the red-head brought another small wave of sadness before he berated himself. _"Come on, get a hold of yourself. He already told you you would be meeting again soon. Believe in him now." _He went to brush his teeth and then plopped down on his bed. He almost groaned when he heard the buzz of his cell phone, indicating he had a new message. He reached out and opened it, not recognising the number.

_To: Kuroko Tetsuya _

_From: Akashi Seijuuro_

_Subject: cell phone number_

_Hello, Tetsuya. I didn't think you had my new cell phone number so I thought I would be a good idea to give it to you and what better way than to text you? By the way, what are you doing?_

Kuroko smiled and immediately saved the number under the name Akashi Seijuuro. He replied shortly after.

_To: Akashi Seijuuro_

_From: Kuroko Tetsuya_

_Subject: Re-cell phone number_

_Thank you, Akashi-kun. You are right; I didn't have your number. And I was just about to sleep. _

Akashi read the text and smiled inside his car.

_To: Kuroko Tetsuya _

_From: Akashi Seijuuro_

_Subject: Re- cell phone number_

_Is that so? Sleep then, Tetsuya. Goodnight._

When Kuroko read that, he was already half asleep. He forced himself to text one final time.

_To: Akashi Seijuuro_

_From: Kuroko Tetsuya_

_Subject: Re-cell phone number_

_Goodnight, Akashi-kun._

And with that the teal-head fell into a deep, peaceful slumber with a smile on his smile.

**AN: So here's chapter 4. I'd like to thank all who read, reviewed ect. Well, I'm sorry if this chapter is too mushy for any you but hey, I like fluff so yeah. Also, I'm sorry for the theatre part if I messed up some things. It's been a long time since I went to one and I had to write this with what I remembered and Google. Oh, and the play isn't real at all, I made it up. Last thing, I know I dramatised the ending a little but if you have a close friend that lives far away you'd understand that it's sorta painful when you separate because you don't know when you will see each other again. I talk from personal experience. Until next chapter then!**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: So here's chapter 5! Thanks again to all who reviewed (why does that sound familiar?) !**

The next morning came by too fast. Kuroko groaned as he opened his eyes and looked at his clock. It read 6:30 am. It was too early to be awake even if he had school. He closed his eyes and tried to fall back asleep. Some people might say it was a waste of time but for him, every minute counts. After he tossed and turned various times, he sighted as he came to the conclusion that he wasn't going to fall asleep again. He felt tired. _"Akashi-kun and I sure stayed out late." _he thought. That was when he remembered how he had acted the previous night. He couldn't help the redness that appeared on his cheeks as he buried his face in his pillow in embarrassment. He had acted so whiny and desperate, as if he would never see the red-head again. What would Akashi think of him now? Although he didn't seem to mind, Kuroko recalled. He had even embraced him to calm him down. And it had worked. Kuroko had felt like a pile of goo when he was in Akashi's arms. Through his crimson face, Kuroko cracked a smile. Despite his hard gaze and unapproachable expression, the red-head was actually a good person. He decided to leave at that though, as his heart had sped up and that could be bad for his health considering the frequency of it these last few days.

He got up and went to the bathroom to take a shower. After he finished, he put on his uniform and walked in the direction of the kitchen. He poured himself a glass of milk and wondered if he should make some eggs. His answer came in seconds, too much trouble. Instead he just grabbed a slice of bread and spread jam over it. He ate slowly and thought about his schedule for the day. He started in history. Then he had math, English and he finished in physics. It sure as hell wasn't his best day, but it wasn't the worst either. The next thing that came to his mind was a certain heterochromatic eyed person. He seemed to be thinking more and more of him. He didn't understand why. He finished his breakfast and went to the door. He took his bag and tied his shoes before making his way outside.

It was a beautiful sunny day. He started walking towards school pondering if he should tell his team what he had done yesterday afternoon. They had all seemed _pretty _curious and now that it was done he didn't see a problem with them knowing. But a small part of him wanted to keep it to himself, to keep it a secret so that it was only _their _memory. He felt conflicted and he didn't realise he was in front of the school until he almost collided with a group of students who were chatting at the entrance. He stopped just in time before turning around and making his way inside of the building. He left some of his things in his locker and made his way to his classroom. Once he arrived, he went straight to his seat and waited for his teacher to arrive. His mind wandered off to the night before and he smiled. Yes, even after the numerous times he thought about it he still couldn't get out of his head. He was still embarrassed but he was also happy Akashi had supported him. He was so immersed in his thoughts he didn't notice when Kagami arrived.

"Yo, Kuroko! By the way, why are you smiling like that? Its creepy." he commented. That got a reaction out of Kuroko and he instantly composed his poker face before answering.

"Good morning, Kagami-kun. And I wasn't smiling creepily." he added. Kagami looked at him and raised one of his eyebrows.

"Yes you were. Now don't give that look we both know it's true. Actually, I'm surprise you were smiling at all." he countered.

"I'm not a robot, Kagami-kun."

"With the lack of expression you have, I wouldn't be surprised if you were." he teased. Kuroko pouted slightly. Still, it felt like something was off. Even if they were arguing like usual, Kagami seemed distracted and dare he say it, a bit nervous. He decided to ask why.

"Kagami-kun, is there something wrong? You seem uncomfortable." he remarked. Kagami stopped talking for a moment and stared at him. He opened his mouth to say something when the teacher arrived.

"I'll tell you later." And with that he turned around and started listening as the teacher explained how the Europeans had conquered America. Kuroko looked at him funny before dismissing the issue and pulling out his textbooks. He started taking notes for once, he had heard from his senpais that there was a hard exam coming up related to this and he didn't want to fail. The rest of the class went on in that manner and before he knew it, he was waiting for his math teacher. Just after history class finished, Kagami had received a call from Himuro about something important apparently and he had ran out of the classroom with only a "Sorry. I'll be back soon."Kuroko didn't really mind though, it gave him a break from Kagami's loud voice and he could read his book. _"Kagami-kun sure is taking his time." _he thought. Class was about to start but the power forward was nowhere to be seen. Just as the bell was about to ring, he saw a red-blur and suddenly, Kagami was at his seat panting like he had ran a marathon.

"Tch...Damn you, Tatsuya...Just because I have an apartment and you don't doesn't mean...Why does she even...He owes me big..." he mumbled to himself. Kuroko raised an eyebrow and asked him what he was talking about.

"Well you see, Alex has decided to come back to Japan to visit." he answered somewhat dejectedly. Kuroko frowned. Alex was a nice woman even if she could be somewhat overwhelming. He didn't see a problem in the fact she was coming to visit.

"And what's the matter with that, Kagami-kun? Shouldn't you be glad she comes to visit?" he asked. Kagami sighted.

"Normally I would, don't ever tell her I said that though." he said. Kuroko smirked internally. Maybe he'd let it _slip. _"But the thing is, she doesn't have a place to stay. Tatsuya called me so we could discuss her _sleeping arrangements. _And of course, she will have to stay at _my _place since Tatsuya lives in Yosen's dorm room." Kuroko nodded, seeing where this conversation was going. "I'm sure you've noticed Alex isn't the most...modest person you will meet." Kagami continued. "And well...Ah! Never mind. It won't change anything even if I kick and scream so why bother." he finished.

"Kagami-kun can actually say intelligent things once in a while" he feigned surprise. The red-head was about to retort when the teacher entered and he had no choice but to let it slide with only a glare. Kuroko felt victorious. Although that was short lived as their math teacher had decided they were having a surprise exam on their resent lessons of trigonometry and that it would count on the report card. He frowned when he received his copy and started doing it as best as he could.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

As the bell announcing lunch rang, all the students got up and went to give the teacher their exam. Some looked confident while others looked miserable and there were those who looked uncertain. As soon as Kuroko gave his test, he quickly exited the classroom and waited for Kagami to join him. The teal-head then noticed that his senpais were walking in his direction, not noticing him. He decided he would scare them a bit. He waited so they were close enough to make his move.

"Man, that test was hard."

"I know right? I don't think I'll pass this time."

"Well you better hope you do. _That_ is coming soon and if you can't go, Riko will kill-"

"Goodmorning, Hyuga-senpai, Kyyoshi-senpai, Izuki-senpai, Koganei-senpai." The four boys jumped out of their skin and swiftly turned around only to be met by two teal orbs that seemed to be smirking at them.

"Kuroko! Don't do that again! I swear it's a bad habit you have." admonished Izuki.

"I apologize." said Kuroko without a single hint of remorse that didn't go unnoticed. "But Hyuga-senpai, what was that about you having to go somewhere? It's about the club right?" he asked. Hyuga, who had been muttering quietly to himself about how the first years had no respect for theirs senpais, perked up.

"You're right. It is about the club but Riko will be the one to announce it." he replied. Kuroko was becoming more and more curious about the subject. What could it be that Riko needed to tell them? At that moment, Kagami made his way out of the classroom and stared at them with confusion.

"Did I miss something?" he questioned. The five boys turned to look at him and shook their heads.

"Not much. We were only saying that Riko will announce something to all the team later on." Koganei answered. Kagami nodded before looking at Kuroko with worried eyes.

"Say, Kuroko? How did you do on the test?" he asked. Kuroko looked at him before answering.

"I'm not sure, Kagami-kun. I had a bit of trouble but I think I should be able to pass." he stated. The red-head's shoulders slumped.

"Oh yeah? Personally, I think I'm screwed. I didn't even understand half the questions." he complained.

"You're hopeless, Kagami-kun."

"Wait, you mean you also had a test? It's like all the teachers made an agreement or something." stated Izuki. All the boys just sighted and dropped their shoulders even more. That was how Riko found them when she searched for them to tell them to go to the gym afterschool.

"Jeez, what happened to you? You look half dead." she started. "Well, not that it matters. Anyway, I came to tell you to come to the gym after school. I have an announcement to make and you must _all _be present. Is that clear?" the boys all nodded their heads. "Good. Now, Kuroko-kun, could you inform Furihata-kun, Fukuda-kun and Kawahara-kun to come as well?" she asked.

"I will." Kuroko answered. The girl nodded enthusiastically and they all made their way to eat on the roof. They chatted pretty much about everything and made lame puns (Izuki) all through lunch. When the time to go back to class came, they all parted and went to their respective classes. As he sat down, Kuroko looked at Kagami worriedly. He had the impression that he had wanted to tell him something but didn't find the right time with all of their team in the way. He wondered if it was the same thing as this morning. He just stared at him before shrugging his shoulders and laying his head on his desk. English wasn't _that _important. If need be, he would go to the library to borrow a book to help him if he didn't understand something that badly. Just before he dosed off, the face of a certain heterochromatic red-head came to mind.

XOXOXOXOXO

The day ended rather quickly and the Seirin's basketball team players found themselves in the gym looking at their happy coach and their captain. To be honest, it sort of put them on guard. Most of the time, when the coach was happy it meant hell was just a step away. They waited patiently for her to announce whatever she needed to say. And she did.

"Well guys, I brought you here today to tell you something incredible." she started.

"And that would be..." asked Tsuchida. Riko would have glared at him for interrupting her if she wasn't in such a good mood. The smirk she wore grew. The team shivered.

"What I mean to say is that we're going to a training camp in Kyoto!" she announced gleefully. The team dropped their jaws.

"Another?! But Riko, we're not even on vacation! And in Kyoto?! How much will that cost?!" exclaimed Koganei. Rikko's glee didn't diminish one bit.

"It's the school that will pay for everything. You see, when we won the winter cup, the principal decided to invest more on the basketball club since we pretty much made the school famous. At least for everyone who likes basketball. So it's safe to say that the school will have more entrance demands next year. This is sort of the principal's way to show his gratitude." explained Hyuga. "As for having school, it seems the principal already called everyone's parents and got confirmation. We leave in four days and we will be back in a week and a half." he continued.

"And to top it off, the place we will be going is one of the most renowned of Japan for athletes to improve their skills! It's normally only for people or schools that live in Kyoto but this year, it's opened to everyone but only for half a week!" Riko half squealed half shouted. She was so excited! Oh, the training menus her team would have... She smiled evilly.

"Yeah but..." the team tried to complain. They didn't like their coach's smile. Although it was cool to miss school to improve their play, they silently feared for their lives.

"No buts! We will leave in four days and that's final!" she toned. "Now we better get going, the volleyball club will arrive at any minute." And with that, she started making her way out of the gym with Hyuga, leaving them there.

"So...I guess we're to Kyoto soon huh?" said Furihata.

"Yeah, I guess" answered Kagami. Suddenly, it looked like he had remembered something important and turned to Kuroko.

"Say, Kuroko, can I ask you a...personal question?" he started. Kuroko looked at him questioningly. Why did he suddenly sound nervous?

"Go ahead, Kagami-kun." he replied. The rest of the team looked at them curiously. Kagami took him by the shoulders and looked at him dead-on.

"You're going out with Akashi, right?" he asked with the most serious face ever. Kuroko's eyes widened but before he could respond, a shout was heard through the gym.

"WHAT?! Kuroko is going out with that guy?!" all the team shouted, including their coach and captain who had returned since they had forgotten their bags.

"Kuroko, why?!"

"Does Moimoi-san know?"

"Have you two done it yet?"

"Does he take you out on dates?"

"Why didn't you say anything Kuroko-kun?!"

"Does the Generation of Miracles know?" Questions and questions came at him until Nigou barked angrily, as if saying _"Let him talk!" _Once they calmed down, Kuroko explained.

"I'm not going out with Akashi-kun." he declared. The team turned to Kagami menacingly.

"But I saw you two the other night in front of your house!" he defended himself. "I had gone out running and he was in front of your house and you seemed to be smiling while he got inside an over-luxurious car!" he finished. It took Kuroko a great effort and a lot of self control not to blush. Someone had seen them. Luckily for him, it seemed Kagami had only seen the end of their _encounter._ If he had seen anything more...Kuroko decided not to go there. After all, his whole team was looking at him with expectant eyes. He gave up.

"Yes, Kagami-kun, I was with Akashi-kun yesterday and we _did _go out to catch up. But that was just it. I'm not dating him." he elucidated.

"Is that so?" asked Riko, looking at him with suspicious eyes.

"Yes." He answered. Why was he becoming nervous? It was true! They were not dating, right?

"Well okay then, if you say so." complied Riko after a long staring contest. She smiled at him before telling the team that she wanted to go to Maji Burger and that they all had to come. Grumbling a bit since most of them were "broke", they followed her outside and made their way to the restaurant. As they walked, Kuroko suddenly made the connection between Akashi and Kyoto. He had been so caught up in his team's fussing that he hadn't noticed. He smiled. Maybe he would be able to see him! But then again, he was going to be training and he was sure Riko would not let him leave. But hadn't she said that it was a renowned training place? There was a one in a million chance, but maybe Akashi would be there too. They had lost for the first time and to make up for it, the red-head would surely make Rakuzan train their butts of so they wouldn't lose next time. His smile grew.

Once they arrived at the restaurant, he was so glad that he ended up buying Kagami three more burgers and drinking two milkshakes. They all wondered why he was in such a good mood.

XOXOXOXOXO

Akashi smirked.

He had just finished his advanced economics class and was making his way down the crowded corridors of his school. _"My Tetsuya's coach must have announced that Seirin will be coming to Kyoto now." _He thought. Yes, mine. Tetsuya was his and he wouldn't let anyone have him. Not even Taiga, his current light. He would make sure of that and if he had to organise and spend money for it, then so be it. As long as Kuroko came around, he didn't care much what he had to do.

His smirk turned calculating. The famous training place wasn't open for everyone just for the heck of it. Akashi had to pull a few strings to allow other schools not from the prefecture of Kyoto to be allowed to come. With that place open, it was inevitable that Seirin's principal would send his basketball team there now that they had won the winter cup. Kaijo, Shuutoku, Touou and Yosen would also send their starters since their coaches believed some of Rakuzan's power came from having such a good training spot. Akashi didn't necessarily like the idea of sharing that place with those schools but having the Generation of miracles reunited in one place would keep Taiga off Kuroko and give him time. As a bonus, he would be able to observe how his former teammates were doing. Rakuzan's principal had been mad that other schools would be coming and will dispatch Akashi and the others to the training grounds for the duration of the other school's stay as not to get left behind, he had said. Akashi hadn't commented on that but he had felt rather displeased.

To be honest, he hadn't planned on making his move so soon. He originally wanted to make Kuroko wait a bit more so that he would miss him, but seeing his distressed face, he just couldn't let him be. Kuroko had managed to make his cold heart moved; he always did, even back in middle school. When he had lost control, his feelings hadn't completely disappeared. He had just ignored them and ridiculed Kuroko because his own emotions confused him. Kuroko had then brought him back by defeating him and he was not letting him get away. Now he just had to pull one last string and all would go well. He just hoped the other schools behaved. He didn't think Ryota, Daiki, Atsushi nor Midorima would be stupid enough to piss him off, but he couldn't say the same about the rest of their teams. He didn't want to have to _punish_ anyone, but if it came to that, he wouldn't hesitate. He suddenly heard a somewhat feminine voice.

"Hey Sei-chan!"

"Good afternoon, Reo."

"So what are you smiling? Did something good happen that I don't know about?" Mibuchi Reo asked. Akashi just smirked wider.

"Oh yes, something _very _good will indeed happen soon." he elucidated. Reo looked at him questioningly.

"And what would that be that makes you smirk so widely?" he asked.

"Am I now?" he replied, not answering the question. Reo recognised this as a sign that he wouldn't say any more and dropped the subject with a pout. The two basketball players made their way to the gym. They greeted their coach before strolling to the back of the gym. As they were entering the changing rooms, Akashi received a text. He smirked for the nth time that day.

_To: Akashi Seijuuro_

_From: Midorima Shintaro_

_Subject: None_

_This is your doing, isn't it?_

XOXOXOXOXO

Midorima frowned at his phone. As soon as his coach had told them that the starters would be going to Kyoto, he knew it was Akashi's doing. He wasn't stupid; such an opportunity to train was too good. And why would they choose to open that place _after _the winter cup? It wasn't logical and surely, Akashi was behind it all.

_To: Midorima Shintaro_

_From: Akashi Seijuro_

_Subject: None_

_Now, whatever do you mean by that? _

It seemed Midorima would have to humour Akashi if wanted to get an answer. He wondered if he would actually get one.

_To: Akashi Seijuuro_

_From: Midorima Shintaro_

_Subject: None_

_You know what I'm talking about. Those training grounds didn't just suddenly open for nothing._

The green-haired teen hoped he would receive an answer this time.

_To: Midorima Shintaro_

_From: Akashi Seijuuro_

_Subject: None_

_Maybe it was my doing, maybe I wasn't. You will know in time._

Midorima's frowned deepened. He knew the red-head wouldn't be any more specific but if anything, that confirmed that he was indeed responsible for the situation. He closed his phone and put it in his pocket with his lucky item, a red pen.

"Who were you texting, Shin-chan?"

"No one, Takao. Now let's go, we need to catch up to the others."

XOXOXOXOXOXO

"There you are! I've been looking for you! Why did you run off all of a sudden before Imayoshi-senpai finished his notice?" asked a feminine voice.

"You're loud." was the tired response. The girl huffed before calming down.

"Say, Dai-chan..." she started.

"I know, Satsuki. This is Akashi's doing." Aomine was grinning, excited. The two childhood friends looked at the sky.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

The sound of chewing was the only noise as two boys walked in the corridors. It stopped barely long enough for the tallest one to mutter something.

"Kyoto? That's too much of a bother..."

"What do you mean, Atsushi?" asked his companion.

"Muro-chin, I was just saying that Kyoto is too far..." Murasakibara repeated.

"You're exaggerating, Atsushi. Come on; let's go buy some of your snacks so you won't get bored during the trip. And _I _will be keeping them so you don't eat them beforehand." when he saw the other nod he turned around and they headed to the closest convenience store.

"_I wonder if Akachin will bring me something?" _

XOXOXOXOXOXO

"_Why would Akashicchi want us to reunite?" _a blond contemplated. _"Maybe he misses us?"_ he perked up.

"Hey! Kise!" He suddenly felt a lot of pain as he was kicked to the other side of the room.

"Waaah! Why is Kasamatsu-senpai so mean to me?!" Kise wailed.

"Because you're annoying, idiot!" was the immediate response. "Now don't slack off!"

"Yes!"

XOXOXOXOXO

Akashi had a victorious glint in his eyes. He knew that by then, his former teammates would have already made the connection between him and their sudden trip to Kyoto one way or another. It didn't mean that they understood his reasons though, and he enjoyed knowing that Midorima would torture himself trying to find an answer. He smiled ominously. He knew he was scaring his team but he didn't care. Maybe he really was a sadist. He shrugged internally and made his way to the changing rooms. Now he only had to wait for four days before he saw his Tetsuya again.

**AN: Well, it seems like the Generation of Miracles will make an appearance soon! We'll see how it turns out. Also, I have something to say. You see, next week I'll be going on a school trip to Washington for a week or so and I don't think I'll be able to update. So this will be the last chapter you will have for about a week. Unless I steal my mom's computer. One last thing, I'm not sure if I got everyone's way of speaking right so I apologise if it's that bad. At any rate, I hope you liked it and that you leave a review please! Oh, and before I forget, those who are waiting for a jealous scene I'm sorry but I'm not sure it will come for a while. But if it makes you feel any better then I can assure you that jealousy will play a reasonable part later in the story. **


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: So this is chapter 6. I****'****m not really sure how it turned out but oh well. Also, I think I will use the word **_**training **_**a lot. I****'****m not sure I use it in a good context so sorry if it bothers anyone. I sure tried to find another word but my brain just couldn't come up with anything. Guess I got that from watching Bleach too much. Thank you to all who reviewed and I hope you like this chapter!**

The four remaining days before Kuroko's trip to Kyoto passed quickly. He had been eagerly waiting all week. Such was his desire to see the red-head again. It was now the morning of his departure and he was double checking he had everything he needed. Once he finished, he brought his suitcase to the front door so it would be easy to grab it when he left. Kuroko decided it was best to take a light breakfast so he wouldn't get sick on the bullet rain. He had been weak with long-term rides and had motion sickness when he was little so he bought pills to prevent that. He didn't think Kagami would be thrilled to have him throw up his breakfast on him. He settled for a bowl of cereal with milk and a glass of orange juice. Once he finished eating, he checked his clock and saw it was time to leave if he wanted to arrive on time. He washed the dishes he had used and made his way to the door. Kuroko grabbed his bag and stepped outside. He walked for a bit before arriving at a bus stop that would take him to the train station. He didn't have to wait long for the bus to arrive. He climbed inside and took a seat close to the entrance. He rode the bus for about fifteen minutes before he arrived at his stop and he got out. He went to his platform and waited.

"Kuroko-kun!" he heard after a while. He looked up to find Riko waving at him along with the rest of his team minus Kagami. He went to meet them.

"Good morning, everyone." he greeted. They all greeted back and Hyuga asked him a question.

"Hey, Kuroko? Do you know where Kagami is? He's the only one who's missing and the train should arrive in ten minutes and you know the bullet trains, they won't be even a minute late." Kuroko shook his head.

"No, I don't know where he is." the teal-head replied. He was a bit worried. If Kagami missed the train, then there was no other way to get to Kyoto when you're a normal high school student. As if on cue, the tall red-head arrived. He was out of breath and it looked like he had run all the way to the station. Riko approached him dangerously.

"So Kagami-kun, what do you have to say for yourself? It better be good or else..." she muttered darkly. All the basketball players shuddered.

"W-Well, you see...I was so excited that I couldn't sleep." he answered while dropping his head.

"Again?! But we're not even going to play a game!" the coach exclaimed. Hyuga interrupted her.

"Hey, Riko? The train will be here at any minute now. You can put him in your Boston crab hold later." he tried. Riko nodded albeit reluctant to let the matter go so fast. Kagami stared at his captain. He had just stabbed him in the back.

"You're right. Now let's get going." Riko said. And with that, they turned just fast enough to see the bullet train arrive. They all looked at each other, having a feeling that something was going to happen once they arrived at the training place. They didn't know if it was good or not but they all stepped inside and searched for their seats.

Kuroko sat next to the window and he was glad he did, it would help him pass time. Next to him sat Kagami and behind them sat Furihata and Fukuda with Kawahara and Tsuchida at the far back. In the front where Hyuga and Riko, Izuki and Koganei and Kiyoshi with Mitobe. The train started to move and in a short time, they were moving at tremendous speed. The teal-head made himself comfortable and looked at Kagami. He had red, swollen eyes and a tired look on his face. Kuroko shook his head.

"Kagami-kun is hopeless." he stated. The other looked at him frowning but too tired to shout.

"Where does that come from?" he asked.

"From the fact that you couldn't sleep _yet again. _We don't even have a match, it's just training." Kuroko countered. Kagami just shrugged.

"Yeah, but that place is where the best athletes of Kyoto go to train, right?" The phantom player nodded.

"In that case, maybe I could meet someone real strong in basketball, you know? That thought kept me up all night." Kagami explained. Kuroko was sure that not a good reason to pull an all-nighter but he guessed that for the red-head, it was.

"I still think you should have at least slept a bit but I guess that's above you." Kuroko teased. Kagami glared.

"Whatever, I'll sleep now." he replied. Kuroko smirked internally. His light had just given him an opening by not denying his earlier statement. He decided not to pursue it though, the red-head was already half asleep anyway. He opened his bag that he had kept with him and took out a book he had bought for the trip. He opened it and tried to read, tried being the key word here. The problem was that he couldn't concentrate one bit, his thoughts constantly turning back towards his former captain. He wondered if he would see him. It had not even been a whole week and yet he really missed him. _"Oh no." _The butterflies were back again. After various minutes of trying to ignore his weird feelings and futilely trying to read, he gave up and just leaned his head on the window. Sleeping for a while couldn't hurt.

XOXOXOXOXO

Kuroko was woken up hours later by Furihata when the staff members started to hand over trays with lunch. He slowly opened his eyes and rubbed the sleep off them. He thanked Furihata when he realised he was indeed hungry. He looked to his right to see Kagami sleeping still despite Fukuda's best efforts. He decided to act up.

"Kagami-kun." he started. "There is a really big, black dog in front of you and it has its mouth open as if it wants to eat you." he whispered in his ear. The red-head woke up with a start.

"A dog?! Where, where is it? Get it away from me!" he half shouted. Kuroko couldn't stop himself. He let a soft laugh escape his lips. Kagami looked at him intently. It was the first time he had heard Kuroko laugh and the sound was...pleasant. He thought things like that until he realized that the teal-head was laughing _at _him. He took back what he said, it wasn't pleasant at all. In fact, he hoped the teal-head would shut up.

"Kuroko, stop that!" he exclaimed. The phantom player calmed down a bit before answering, his eyes clearly saying he was amused.

"But Kagami-kun, take a look around you." he suggested. The red-head scowled but did as he was told and instantly blushed, people all around him were looking at him intently or glaring. It seems he had been rather loud when he woke up. He turned to Kuroko and glared hard. It was his entire fault! He grumbled loudly to himself. _"Once we arrive, he will pay." _

"Whatever. Why did you wake me up anyway?" he asked. Kuroko had stopped laughing but he still had an amused smile.

"I did so because it's time for lunch." As if on cue, I waitress arrived and handed them their plates. Kagami didn't reply; he _was _rather hungry. They both looked at their trays. It contained a simple ham and cheese sandwich with carrots at the side. They also had yogurt and desert, which was a slice of chocolate cake. They received water bottles too.

"This is so little! I won't be filled with this." Kagami complained before grinning. "Good thing I brought more food." He took his bag that was at his feet and pulled out a _large_ sandwich and a big bag of chips. Kuroko shook his head, his partner never changed. They ate in a comfortable silence before Kiyoshi interrupted them.

"Say, Kagami, why did you shout earlier? Riko was pretty mad you know. I think I heard her saying she would double your training menu." he told him. Kagami started to sweat. Last time, their training had been extremely hard. He didn't think he would survive if she doubled it. He hung his head. Before he could answer him, Kuroko butted in.

"Well you see, Kiyoshi-senpai, Kagami-kun here was sleeping very soundly and wouldn't wake up despite Furihata-kun's attempts so I decided to wake him up instead. Since I don't have much strength, I figured shaking him would be no use. To wake him up I told there was dog in front of him that wanted to eat him. Kagami-kun reacted too strongly though and ended up screaming." he explained. Kiyoshi nodded his head.

"I don't know why but when you say it, it sounds worse than it should be." Kagami told him.

"It's because it _is _bad, Kagami-kun. You disturbed other people who are riding the train with us." Kuroko reprimanded. Kagami just grunted; he felt a little guilty.

"Well you should be more careful next time, Kagami." said kiyoshi. The red-head nodded.

"By the way, Kiyoshi-senpai, when will we be arriving at Kyoto?" asked Kuroko. "I fell asleep along with Kagami-kun so I don't know how long it's been since we departed." he excused himself. Kiyoshi just smiled.

"Don't worry, everyone was tired. And I think we should be arriving in about four hours." answered the brunette.

"That's too long..." muttered Kagami before Kuroko could respond. The teal-head nudged his ribs to shut him up.

"Thank you, Kiyoshi-senpai." stated the phantom player, ignoring the "Ouch!" from Kagami.

"No problem." was the centre's reply. He turned his head to the front and ended the conversation.

"What was that for, Kuroko?" growled Kagami. Kuroko just stared at him with his usual emotionless face.

"Because you were complaining too much." he told him. Kagami was about to argue back when he remembered his mishap from earlier. He decided to concede defeat this once; he didn't want to embarrass himself further. He finished the last of his chips before deciding to sleep again since he had nothing better to do. Kuroko shook his head at his light's sulking. The red-head could be such a kid sometimes. The waitress had taken both their trays already so he decided to actually read this time. He opened his book and concentrated hard on the words printed on the paper.

XOXOXOXOXO

Akashi was almost happy. It was finally the day he would his Tetssuya again. His team's regulars had arrived at the training camp. It was called a camp but in fact it was a gigantic terrain with mountains, a beach and gymnasiums adapted to almost any sport. The whole place had one inn that was medium sized but of rather high quality. Rakuzan had arrived at 2:10. It was a bit late for lunch but the inn owner who was also the receptionist, would have none of their excuses and sent the five of them to the cafeteria to eat a meal prepared by herself. None of them were complaining though, her cooking was delicious. It seems Rakuzan's players were regular visitors of the camp and the owner had grown quite fond of the boys. Especially of Akashi when he had reverted back to his old self. In fact, the red-head's relationship with all of his team had improved. If he was honest with himself, Akashi was glad he was back. He hadn't realised when he had changed but he had missed having good relationships.

He was still not that nice though, since he was making his team suffer at the moment. Sure, he had opened the training camp to _public,_ but that didn't mean they would not train. In fact, Akashi's training menu was the hardest Rakuzan's players had ever had. But they all understood and accepted this. They had lost, they weren't strong enough. They weren't bitter about it though, they had found strong rivals and worthy opponents in Seirin and they couldn't wait to play them again even if it wasn't an official match. All the regulars had never contested any of Akashi's orders, even after he changed personalities. However, this time they obeyed him with even more ardour. The reason was simple; Akashi was working so hard that it gave each of them tons of motivation. Not even Hayama complained with the amount of training. They all pushed their limits until they couldn't take anymore.

After hours of training in the mountains and in the beach, they all headed back to the inn to take a shower and eat supper. Needless to say, they were all exhausted, even Akashi. Once they arrived, they made a beeline to their rooms. Reo and Mayuzumi shared a room as well as Kotaro and Nebuya. Akashi was alone in a room for two since he didn't particularly like to share a room with anyone unless it was Tetsuya, of course. Also, there were no single rooms left. He took clothes from his baggage and went to the bathroom to take a much needed shower. Once he finished, the red-head got out and changed into comfortable sweatpants and a loose T-shirt. The pants were grey and the shirt was plain red. He wore a thin, black jacket over his shirt too. All in all, he was wearing quite simple clothes. Yet since it _was _him, he still looked elegant in them. He stepped out of the bathroom and went to sit near the window. If he was right, and he was, his Tetsuya had taken the train early in the morning and would be arriving in about a half hour. He smirked. A certain green haired male had just passed the entrance with four other boys. He made his way out of his room and came upon Reo.

"Sei-chan? Where are you going? Supper will only be served in a half hour." the black haired boy asked. Akashi just smiled.

"I am aware of that, Reo. But you see, there is this old friend of mine that has arrived and it would impolite not to go greet them." he responded, mischievous. Reo's eyes widened. There were only five people the red-head considered _old friends _and they were the Generation of Miracles. He concluded that the training camp incident was all Akashi's doing after all. The why was still unanswered though. Akashi ignored the surprised look his vice-captain sent him and walked down the stairs. He arrived to the front desk just in time to see Midorima resign himself to share a room. He found it hilarious that the proud green-head would have to sleep with his rather loud partner. He smirked sadistically and went over to him. As if he was programmed to sense his approach, Midorima's head turned to him. His eyes widened before closing as he adjusted his glasses.

"I see my assumptions were correct." This got the attention of all if his teammates and when they took in the sight of the red-head, their eyes popped out of their sockets.

"It's nice to see you too, Shintaro." he replied, amused. The whole team's reaction was very entertaining and Midorima was looking at him as if he had told him he loved him. Totally annoyed and disbelieving. It seems he still wasn't over the surprise of seeing him there despite his suspicions. The green-head's team wisely didn't speak. Finally, he nodded.

"Well, it seems I should not be surprised if the others arrive." he spoke. The other just smiled. His team looked at each other, wondering what he was referring to. Midorima sighted. To be honest, he didn't really know what to think. There was a high possibility that the rest of the Generation of Miracles would also arrive but he just couldn't think of any valid reason as to the meaning behind the red-head's actions. Knowing him, it could be something trivial as it could be something life-changing. That didn't mean everyone would be affected though and he realised that Akashi had set the stage. What he didn't know was who played main characters and who played extras. He guessed he would just have to wait and see. He didn't like being in the dark though.

"What are you planning." he asked drily. Akashi gained a mysterious glint in his eyes before answering him and Midorima wondered if he had overstepped his boundaries.

"I don't see what you mean. I am not planning anything." His former second-in-command was smart, Akashi would give him that. Still, he wondered if he would get in his way even if unconsciously. He stared at him as a warning. Midorima understood he would need to be careful. The red-head's previous statement couldn't be farther away from the truth and they both knew it. _"Stay out of my way." _it read.

"If you say so." _I don't believe you._

The two boys stared hard at each other for a long time, having a silent conversation. The green-head's team became even more confused. It was obvious their ace was accusing his former captain of something. They didn't know of what though. And why were they staring at each other like that?! The pressure was enormous! They wanted to know what was going on but none dared to interrupt. They wanted to live, thank you very much. The aura the red-head was emitting was _not _a friendly and they wondered what was going on in the minds of the two former teammates. Everyone was so caught up in the moment they failed to notice the front door open and a giant with four other people enter the building until a lazy voice was heard.

"Oh, Aka-chin and Mido-chin are fighting. Scary…" stated a purple haired teen while munching on a snack.

"Good evening, Atsushi. And for your information we were not fighting, Shintaro and I were only debating on something." he answered smoothly. In truth, Akashi had been startled by the arrival of Murasakibara. He had been in the middle of almost threatening Midorima and hadn't anticipated an interruption. He easily covered it up though.

"It didn't look that way to me but if you say so…" the purple-head answered without much heat behind his voice. He was a bit curious as to why they were here but he let it slide, it was too much trouble and he was hungry anyway. He turned to Himuro.

"Muro-chin, I'm hungry…" he complained. The black haired boy looked at him with his single visible eye in a mix of curiosity and surprise. He was surprised to see Akashi at the training camp. He didn't know the red-head lived in Kyoto. He turned to his partner.

"Atsushi, you just finished eating. Besides, super should be served soon." Himuro half-admonished him. The tall teen pouted.

"But I'm hungry." he repeated. Himuro sighted. It seemed he wouldn't be able to convince him to wait for supper. He brought his bag down and pulled out a bag of chips he had brought just in case this would happen. He handed it over to the purple-head.

"I guess it can't be helped. Here." The center grinned while taking the snack offered to him.

"You're the best, Muro-chin…" he thanked him. Akashi watched this exchange with amusement. It looked as if Atsushi had found someone who could actually take care of him, which was no easy task. He watched the black haired boy turn to him.

"Hello, Akashi-san." he greeted him. The red-head smirked. It seemed said person was polite and intelligent.

"Ah, I apologise. Good evening." he replied calmly.

"I believe we haven't been properly introduced. My name is Himuro Tatsuya." he continued politely. He had heard about the red-head's personality and even if he hadn't, the other's aura was enough to tell him this person wasn't someone to be messed with.

"It is nice to meet you, Tatsuya. I believe you already know my name but I will tell you anyhow. My name is Akashi Seijuro." he responded proudly. The boy had passed his test. He was good mannered and decent.

"Likewise." was Himuro's response. Their whole "audience" was speechless. They all mentally congratulated Himuro. It was obvious Akashi didn't particularly dislike the boy and maybe he even accepted him. That was a feet. Also, he had been able to speak naturally with the red-head. Most of them if not all would've been tense or at least intimidated. Himuro for his part was feeling fine. He admitted he was a bit tense before he greeted Atsushi's former captain but he had realised that as long as you didn't say anything inappropriate, the red-head was a…decent boy. He couldn't say normal, that word absolutely didn't apply to said person. He had no doubts the person who angered Akashi would have to face dire consequences. He understood why Atsushi obeyed him without question. Midorima, who had been silent the whole time, spoke up.

"Good evening, Murasakibara." he greeted, a bit annoyed that he was ignored. The purple-head stopped eating.

"Hello, Mido-chin." he greeted back before continuing. Midorima nodded before turning to his team.

"We should move so that Yosen can register." he stated. He thought they all looked stupid himself included as they just stood there blocking the desk completely from the newcomers. His teammates realised this and nodded before moving. It was at that moment Himuro remembered they did have to register and ushered his team to the front desk. As his captain made the sleeping arrangements, the front doors opened again.

"Akashi-kun?"

XOXOXOXO

To say that Kuroko was surprised was an understatement. His team had gotten off the train and made their way to the inn as quickly as possible. The entire time he had hoped he would see him. He just stood there, frozen. The red-head known as Akashi Seijuro smiled.

"Hello, Tetsuya." he greeted him, happy to finally be with the teal-head. This shook Kuroko out of his stupor. The fact that he was finally in the presence of the red-head sunk in and he tried his best to repress the huge grin that threatened to appear on his face. Still, he let out a small, warm smile.

"Good evening, Akashi-kun. It's nice to see you." he replied almost happily.

"Likewise." The both of them stared at each other, unaware of their surroundings. They had a special glint in their eyes. One pair softened while the other became livelier. They gazed at each other for what seemed like ages before they were interrupted by a loud voice.

"Akashi?! What are you doing here?!" exclaimed Kagami. Needless to say Akashi was _not _pleased at all. He was actually pretty mad that someone had interrupted his "moment" with his Tetsuya. Someone had to pay and it would be no other than Taiga himself. That would have to wait though, as Tetsuya wouldn't like that. The truth was the teal-head was also annoyed.

"Taiga, it is rude to it is rude to shout like that in a public place." He stated with an ominous tone. All who were present shuddered; it promised a lot of suffering. Hyuga realised that his ace was about to gain more trouble the second he opened his mouth. Before he could get a word out, Kagami found his voice muffled by a hand. He frowned at his captain.

"Don't look at me like that! I just made you a favour so be grateful!" he half-whispered. Kagami was very dumb, so he didn't understand what the other was talking about but he kept his mouth shut as to not anger Hyuga any further.

"Kagami-kun you idiot." came the sudden accusation. The power forward widened his eyes.

"What did I do now?!" Kagami complained. Kuroko remained silent. _"You interrupted us, that's why."_ He wanted to tell him but couldn't. He himself didn't even know why it bothered him so much so how could he tell _Kagami _of all people? Akashi raised an eyebrow at the duo's antics before turning to the rest of the team. He was a little bothered by it and made a mental note to increase Kagami's punishment.

"Good evening, Seirin." he said somewhat coldly. The team visibly jumped before turning their attention to him. Even if they had beat him in the past, that didn't make him any less intimidating. In fact it was quite the opposite.

"A-Ah, good evening to you too, Akashi-san." answered a still startled Riko. The red-head nodded before turning his attention to Yosen.

"Have you by any chance finished registering?" he asked. At the hesitant nod he received he turned to the Seirin's coach, he believed her name was Riko.

"You are staying here for a whole week. The registration desk for the rooms is right here." He told her confidently. Riko just nodded, not knowing what to say when he knew about their situation so accurately. Then again, they weren't the only school as she saw Yosen just a few feet away. Kagami had gone over to talk to his brother, Murasakibara standing a little too close to Himuro. The rest of the three remaining teams had started mingling with each other or talking between them. The lobby was starting to get crowded. She headed in the direction of the front desk and spoke a bit with the receptionist before frowning.

"Is there something wrong, Riko-senpai?" asked Kuroko. The brunette was startled for the nth time that day and turned to Kuroko before sighting.

"Well, we are a lot and there is not a good way to fit all of us into rooms cheaply. There are no single rooms left so we will have to pay extra because I will sleep alone in a room for two. There is also only one room for four left so we will have to pay even more for one of you to do the same as me since I'm not sleeping with any of you." she finished with a deeper frown. Kuroko nodded.

"That is indeed a problem." he was thinking about possible solutions when the Akashi intervened.

"Well, maybe I can help. You see, there were no single rooms when Rakuzan arrived either so I paid for a twin room for me. I wouldn't mind to share with you, Tetsuya." he told the teal-head. He was internally smirking. This was the reason why he hadn't demanded that a single room be freed for him. He had seen what rooms were available and had predicted this outcome. It was a tremendous chance he had and he wouldn't hesitate to milk it for what it was worth.

"But Akashi-kun, you have already paid for everything right? I couldn't possibly just sleep there without paying for half…" he answered, unsure. The red-head had already paid for him in various occasions and he didn't want to take advantage of his kindness.

"Nonsense, I won't mind at all. It is better if someone sleeps in the spare bed, that way I will have paid for someone and not for air." he countered.

"But-"

"No buts!" interrupted a feminine voice. Riko looked at Kuroko almost menacingly. "He is offering you to stay with him for free, so accept Akashi-san's kind offer!" she finalised. The team was tight on budget and needed all the money they could have. This was a great opportunity to save up and she was not about to let Kuroko refuse. The teal-head could only nod before the determined look of his coach and turned to Akashi.

"Well, then. It seems I will be staying with you Akashi-kun. Thank you for the offer." he bowed gratefully. The red-head smiled almost warmly, Tetsuya's coach was still there after all.

"It's my pleasure. Now follow me, we should get your things into the room." And with that, he took Kuroko's suitcase out of his hands and started making his way up the stairs. Kuroko pouted before giving a quick see you later to his team and former teammates that he realised with surprise were there. Everyone missed the warm smile a red-head directed to him when he had his back turned except a certain green –haired person. _"It seems Kuroko is one of the main characters. What play will he participate in?"_

XOXOXOXOXO

"I can carry my luggage by myself." was the exasperated tone the teal-head used as the two boys reached the second floor.

"Sure you can. But I feel like carrying them at the moment so I will." replied the red-head with a chuckle. Now that they were alone, he was more relaxed and he let himself be a little more laid back. From the corner of his eye he saw the other pout. He smirked.

They reached a room in the middle of the corridor and Akashi pulled out a card and opened the door. They stepped inside a rather vast room with two single beds and a common nightstand with a phone and an alarm clock on it. Two different lamps sat on each end of it. A large chest of drawers was in front of the beds and a wardrobe was right next to it. A desk sat in a corner of the room with a sofa facing it. The walls were a pastel green and the floor was a brown carpet. On the left-hand side right after you entered the room was a bathroom with turquoise walls and a white-tiled floor. It had a sink, a large mirror, a toilet, a shower and a bathtub. Kuroko noticed one of the beds already had some books over it so he concluded that was the bed Akashi had chosen. He made his way to the other one and the red-head brought his suitcase over.

"Thank you, Akashi-kun." he told him reluctantly with an unconscious pout and a blush. Akashi smiled. The phantom player was so cute when he was stubborn, he couldn't help but want a bite. He would refrain from it though; it could scare his Tetsuya away. Instead he just helped him unpack and put away his clothes. Once they finished, he went to his bed and was about to start reading when the expression on Tetsuya's face caught his attention.

Kuroko was deep in thought. He felt so confused. He had felt so relieved when he saw the red-head. It was as if he couldn't live a day without hearing from him. That scared him. He had never felt so strongly towards a single person. Why did Akashi have such an effect on him? Questions like that plagued his mind until he gave up and lay on his bed. Akashi raised an eyebrow before smirking at the understanding of what might be going on in his Tetsuya's mind. He felt victorious until he remembered his last conversation with him.

"…I didn't break my promise, did I?" he spoke softly, almost uncertainly. Kuroko was startled out of his thoughts by that question and the smile he had been holding in escaped.

"No, you didn't." he replied, staring deeply into heterochromatic eyes, trying to convey his gratitude in his gaze. And the read-head got the message. So many words and emotions were exchanged in that stare, one of them Kuroko didn't recognise but he identified it as the most significant one. They remained like that for a long while.

**AN: Well there you have it! I hope you liked it and please review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Now this is chapter seven. I'm not all that confident about but enjoy!**

Kuroko woke up with a high fever and a scowling Akashi at his side. _"Ah, it seems Akashi-kun was right." _he thought. He suddenly felt a soothing coolness as the red-head placed a wet towel over his forehead. He heaved a sigh of relief.

"I told you this would happen and yet, you still didn't listen." he heard Akashi whisper to him. He turned his head slightly to look at a pair of heterochromatic orbs before shying away. Kuroko felt a tad bit ashamed. He thought back to the night before.

_XOXOXOXOXO_

_Akashi and Kuroko had been staring at each other until the telephone rang. Akashi had broken their gaze and glared at the phone resentfully while the teal-head had turned away, embarrassed. Nevertheless, the red-head had gotten up to answer the call. _

"_Yes?" he had answered ominously. The person at the other end of the line had squeaked before stammering a reply._

"_W-Well, Sei-chan, I just called to let you know that s-supper is already served and that you should probably go eat soon or else there won't be anything left." had answered a cautious Reo. The red-head blinked. Had it really been that long? _

"_Very well then, I will go down shortly. Tell the team you can all go ahead, I'll join you downstairs later." He had finished the call and turned towards Kuroko. He told him that supper was already served in the cafeteria and that they should get going before the food became cold. The teal-head had nodded and they had left their room and strolled in the direction of the cafeteria. When they had arrived, the tables were already full and the only places left were at the table Midorima and Murasakibara had somehow ended up sharing. It seemed there were other schools besides the ones Akashi had directly expected to come that were there. They had looked at each other before making their way towards their former teammates. _

"_Aka-chin, Kuro-chin, you were rejected by your teams too?" had asked a purple haired giant munching on chicken wings. The bespectacled man had immediately argued back._

"_I was not rejected." he stated defiantly. The two newcomers took their seats silently watching the duo bicker before Kuroko joined in._

"_And what about you, Murasakibara-kun? Did you get rejected too?" he asked._

"_Dammit Kuroko! I did not-"_

"_I guess I was. Muro-chin wanted to eat with Kagami so I had to lend him my place..." he muttered sulkily. Kuroko was confused. Normally, few were the people who were able to convince the purple-haired boy of anything, much less to get him to do something he didn't want to._

"_If you didn't want to do it that badly then why did you accept, Murasakibara-kun?" he had asked curiously. The other had grinned._

"_Because Muro-chin promised we would buy a lot of snacks when we returned to Akita." Kuroko had nodded. Sweets were an effective way to get the purple-head to agree to almost anything. Akashi had then spoken up to tell them they should go serve themselves and they had both stood. The rest of the meal had been relatively peaceful with the occasional friendly banter between boys. Once they had finished, Kuroko had gone over to talk to Riko to know if the team was going to do anything that evening. She had surprisingly answered that she was giving the team time to recover from the long train ride. He had just nodded before he walked to the table he was previously seated at. Akashi was still there._

"_Aren't you going to train, Akashi-kun?" he had asked. The other shook his head before explaining that Rakuzan had already trained very hard that afternoon and that he didn't want to exhaust his team to much. Kuroko had smiled. If Akashi deemed his training hard, that meant it was hell for his team. He sort of pitied them._

"_Well, since it seems we are both free, how about I show you the inn, Tetsuya?" had asked Akashi. The teal-head had smiled and nodded. They had made their way to the door and for the next hour, Akashi had shown him all the public rooms the inn offered. The public baths, the gymnasiums, the pool and many more. They had stayed in the game room for quite a bit and Kuroko had discovered he was pretty good at ping-pong. He still hadn't been able to beat Akashi though. Both boys had fun and before they realised it, the sky had already turned dark. They had decided to call it a day and had returned to their room. They had taken turns using the shower and had then gone to bed after a "good night" and some sweet words that had made Kuroko blush. The teal-head had closed his eyes and attempted to sleep. He couldn't though. He had tossed and turned before abandoning halfway and getting up. He had made his way across the room and opened the glass window that led to their small balcony. He had just stood there admiring the view before he suddenly heard a smooth voice._

"_You shouldn't be out so late. There is a cold breeze out here and if you stay too long, you may get sick tomorrow." Akashi admonished him. Kuroko had looked at him before turning away. _

"_I couldn't sleep and for some reason, I felt like coming out here, so I did." he explained. The red-head had nodded, accepting his reason._

"_Still, you should be careful." he had insisted. "Well, I will return to bed then. I had a long day and you had one too, so be sure to go back inside quickly." Akashi had then excused himself and lay down on his bed, bringing the covers up to his chin and falling asleep again. Kuroko had watched him. He had never seen Akashi sleep and he had to admit he looked rather...cute. He would never tell him that though, he doubted the red-head would be pleased by hearing that. In the end, he had stayed there for a long time, admiring his former captain before going to bed much later._

_XOXOXOXOXO_

It seems he was now paying for his carelessness. His head was foggy and he couldn't form much of a coherent thought. His body felt as if a great force was preventing him from moving his limbs normally. He sighted at his pitiful state. Oh, how he wished that for once, Akashi would've been wrong. He seldom had a fever but when he did, it was a really strong one that only lasted for about a day. He heard Akashi mutter something under his breath.

"Did you say something, Akashi-kun?" he asked as best as he could. To his own ears, his voice sounded hoarse and tired.

"I asked you if you were okay." The red-head looked at him intently. Was that worry in his eyes? Kuroko was touched and tried to reassure him he was fine by smiling but it turned into a grimace. The red-head sighted before speaking again.

"I'm sorry, this is my fault. I should have been more insisting that you return to bed." he apologised. He truly felt guilty. Kuroko lifted his hand with much difficulty before Akashi caught it. In truth, Kuroko had wanted to slap the red-head but this outcome was just fine with him too. He was glad his fever masked his blush.

"Don't apologise. It's my entire fault anyway. I was the one who decided to stay out late outside with that cold wind." he reasoned. He knew Akashi wasn't convinced but since the red-head didn't say anything, he let it slide. They just stayed there for a while, Kuroko feeling like crap and Akashi watching over him. After a while, the red-head spoke again.

"Tetsuya, you need to eat something if you want to heal fast. I will go get you something cold from the kitchen." He started to stand up. Kuroko tried his best to sit up. He wouldn't allow himself to be a burden to Akashi. Seeing this, the red-head immediately pushed him down.

"But Akashi-kun, I need to go with you!" he protested. The red-head looked at him with deadpan eyes.

"And worsen your condition? Not a chance. Now stay here and wait for me." He covered the teal-head again before making his way outside the door without waiting for a response.

Akashi closed the door before sighting and making his way to the lobby, the kitchens were close. He really should have dragged Tetsuya to bed. And yet, he hadn't had the will to do so yesterday. He, Akashi Seijuro, didn't have the _will. _He wondered if he should be preoccupied that the phantom player had such an influence on him. Not that it mattered anyway; the damage had already been done. Even if he could, he didn't think he _would _change anything. Kuroko had given him a new perspective of the world. He still thought victory was extremely important, but he could now understand that there could also be things even more important. Truly, Kuroko had taught him of all people many things. Things he lacked before and were crucial. Joy, forgiveness, _acceptance._ He knew that thanks to Kuroko and for that, he deserved the best. And of course, he himself was part of the best. _"I really should stop thinking like that. I will become narcissistic." _he thought. It only took him a moment before he dismissed the thought. He needed to hurry up, Kuroko was waiting for him. He slowed his pace when he heard a loud voice.

"Akashicchi!" The red-head turned to find a very energetic blond running to meet him with a dark-skinned, blue haired boy walking a few paces behind.

"Ryota, Daiki." he greeted them once they reached him. The blond looked at him with cheerful eyes.

"Good morning!" he answered loudly. Aomine just grunted.

"So tell me, did the both of you just arrive?" asked Akashi. Aomine nodded.

"Yeah, apparently Kaijo and Touou decided to take the train at the same time so I was forced to endure this idiot that wouldn't shut up even if it was near midnight!" he complained.

"You're so mean, Aominecchi! It wasn't my fault I was so excited to come to Kyoto!" Kise defended himself.

"Damn straight it was!" Aomine hit him in the back of the head.

"Ouch!" Kise exclaimed. Akashi decided to intervene before their argument got any worse.

"That is enough, calm down or you will disturb others. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go order something cold for Tetsuya." he started to walk away. The two other boys remained there, surprised, before immediately catching up to the red-head and questioning him.

"Did something happen to Tetsu?" asked Aomine. He was worried for his former- he cringed at the word; he still wanted to play with him again-shadow. That little guy always tangled himself in dangerous situations he wouldn't be able to handle. He remembered this time in middle school when the teal-head had tried to stop a fight just to have the bad group ganging up on him. If he hadn't arrived, the phantom sixth man would have probably been beaten to a pulp.

"Yes, he is sick with a high fever and he needs something cold to help bring down his temperature." answered Akashi. His former teammates looked at each other, worried. Kuroko was like a little brother to them and they had never allowed for anyone to hurt him and were extremely worried when he got sick. Not that Aomine showed it though. Ironically, in the end it was them who caused the teal-head the more hardships. They had failed their roles of "big brothers" but would make sure it never happened again.

"Akashicchi, I saw Seirin in the corridor we just passed. I'll go warn them of the situation so they don't get mad at Kurokocchi." stated Kise. He thought it was important to let them know. After all, they were his team and he was sure they were worried about were the phantom player was. He saw Akashi nod.

"Yes, that is a good idea. Tell them to just continue practice without Tetsuya as I will take care of him. Once you've finished, come meet me and Daiki, I believe you could both improve Tetsuya's mood." As soon as he received his orders, Kise nodded and returned in the direction they just came.

"Daiki, you heard what I just said. You will come with me to get the food and we will then go to mine and Tetsuya's room." the red-head said. Aomine could only nod; he wanted to see the small boy after all. One thing bothered him though.

"You're sharing a room with Tetsu?" he asked, incredulous. How could anyone share a room with that crazy former captain of his? That person would surely die with a pair of scissors in their throat! He felt a dangerous aura emanating from the red-head as if he had heard his thought.

"Is there a problem with that, Daiki?" The way he said his name sent shivers down Aomine's spine. There was only one person in the world that could get him like this. He adamantly shook his head.

"Good." was the last thing Akashi said. Oh, he knew what the blue-head was thinking alright and he didn't appreciate his view of him. If he wasn't so worried about Tetsuya, Aomine would've been in a bigger mess. _"He should thank his luck."_

They arrived at the kitchen doors and Akashi pulled them open before strolling inside. He was met by the scent of recently baked bread. Since he was there anyway, he decided to take his breakfast with him and eat with Tetsuya. Forget about training for the day, the teal-head was more important. He would just write a list about what his team needed to get done that day and give it to Reo. He trusted the boy would make sure everything would be done perfectly.

"Excuse me." he stopped a woman carrying a tray. She turned to him and smiled.

"What can I do for you?" she replied politely.

"I have a friend who is sick in bed with a high fever. I was wondering if it was possible for me to get him something cold right now." Akashi asked. The girl nodded before setting down her tray.

"Yes it is. Actually, I have nothing to do at the moment, so if you don't mind, I could take it to your room." she offered. Akashi was pleased. He thought he would have to wait for the food to be ready, but it seems he wouldn't have to do that anymore. He smiled his appreciation before thanking her.

"Thank you, that would be of much help. Could I also order my breakfast? I would like to stay by my friend's side and I do not think I will have time to eat in the cafeteria." he inquired.

"But of course!" She took out a note pad and a pen. "What would you like and what is your room number?" she asked.

"My room is room 46. I would like one glass of cold milk and a cup of green tea along with four toasts. On the side, I would like two apples please." The girl wrote it down before looking at Aomine expectantly. The blue haired boy looked at Akashi questioningly. The red-head gave him his permission and he turned to the girl.

"I want a glass of orange juice with eggs and bacon." he told her. The girl finished taking their orders and informed them their meals would be in their room in about twenty minutes. Akashi nodded and thanked the girl before making his way outside with Aomine just behind him. They came face to face with Kise.

"So how did it go?" asked the red-head. The blond smiled proudly.

"I informed them already. They were reluctant at first but I managed to convince them." he stated.

"Well done." was Akashi's answer. They continued on their way to the red-head's room. The walk was peaceful until they heard the noise of something falling to the floor in the next corridor. They turned and were astonished at what they saw.

Akashi's blood boiled.

XOXOXOXOXO

Kuroko had gotten out of bed despite Akashi's warning. If he was in full control of his mind, he would have realised that what he was doing was stupid and dangerous. But his head was clouded by his fever and the only thing he could think of was that Akashi was out to get him something and that he wouldn't allow that. He was sick of making the red-head worry and he would go get his breakfast alone. He wasn't conscious enough to understand that even if he did it, Akashi would be here faster. He stubbornly pushed his covers aside and stood up on wobbly legs. It took him a while to accustom himself to the perpetual dizziness. Once he did, he took slow, hesitant steps and finally reached the door. He had to muster all the strength his weakened body could muster to open it, as pathetic as it sounded. He stepped outside and nearly fell over at the brightness of the corridor. Compared to his room, it seemed like he was standing before the sun. It all gave him a headache. He still decided to continue though. Now that he was sick, he realised the inn was actually a lot bigger than it looked like at first. He would have to make it through various corridors and down the stairs before getting to the kitchen. It didn't really look very appealing but he began walking anyway. He made it halfway through the stairs before he accidently bumped into a group of older teenagers. He would have fallen down if he wasn't next to the wall.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" one of them yelled at him. The noise only worsened his growing migraine.

"I'm sorry." he excused himself. He really wanted to leave. These were the type of guys who your parents warned you about. You know, those who you shouldn't become friends with? Kuroko felt uneasy. He painfully started to walk away.

"Hey, you think we gonna let you walk away just like that?" One of the thugs grabbed his elbow. The teal-head struggled but with his fever, he didn't make any difference.

"You know this is a training camp for athletes, right? What is a weakling like you doing here?" The boy pushed him to the wall. Kuroko's head hit the wall and he moaned from the pain. They all looked at him.

"Hey! This brat has a fever!" one of them exclaimed. They all laughed at him.

"What did I tell you?"

"Hahaha! So weak."

"Man, who would ever play any sport with someone like _him?"_ The insults continued until Kuroko couldn't take it anymore and with surprising force for someone who was sick, slapped the closest one. He started panting heavily. He normally wasn't a violent person but these people had gone too far. Some of them had reminded him of his previous fears that he still somewhat had. He only realised too late that it would only worsen his situation.

"What the hell! Who do you think you are! I will beat you until you can't even remember your name!" The boy who he had slapped moments ago raised his fist. Kuroko didn't even have the energy to raise his arms to protect himself; he just closed his eyes and awaited the impact. But it never came.

"Wait." a cold voice was heard. Kuroko opened his eyes and set his gaze on the only person from the group who hadn't said a word. Kuroko assumed he was the leader as the one who was about to punch him immediately retracted his fist. The thugs's leader was a tall, lean, brown haired boy with an emotionless face. He approached him slowly as the others made way. When he was close enough, he took his chin and lifted his flushed face. His dispassionate expression turned into a full blown sadistic and lecherous smirk.

"Guys, don't you think he looks like a girl?" he asked mockingly. Kuroko widened his eyes.

"Hey, now you mention it, he does!"

"Yeah, totally!" The leader smirked at hearing the affirmative answers. His hand moved from Kuroko's chin to his cheek. Kuroko tried to push it away to no avail.

"And don't you think he looks absolutely ravishing?" he finished. His words were slurred with lust and malice. Kuroko started to panic when he saw the rest of the group's expressions turning the same as their leader's. He started to struggle even more. The leader turned and laughed at him. It seems they had no qualms about doing it in public.

"You see, we come from China. It isn't the first time we...accost someone like you. And of course, this has gotten us in trouble with the damn law. We overdid it the last time and now we're here. You should be honoured you're our first Japanese." he finished mockingly. This couldn't be happening. Kuroko cursed his fever. His movements were slow, uncontrolled and didn't help him one bit. He tried pushing them away but then one of them threw him hard on the ground with a kick. His vision turned black and he almost cried at the thought of what could happen to him. Before he completely passed out he saw bright, scarlet hair.

"Akashi-...kun?"

XOXOXOXOXO

Akashi was mad beyond belief. How dare they? How dare those lowly mongrels put their hands on _his _Tetsuya?! He heard the enraged growl coming from his previous ace and the blond but ignored it, he was too pissed off.

"What do you think you're doing?" he almost snarled in between his teeth. The aura he was emitting was full of killing intent and hatred yet it seemed these people in front of him were too idiotic to even feel it.

"And who are you?" asked the boy who was just about to do _something_ to Kuroko. Akashi swore. He swore none of them would leave this inn in one piece. He didn't hesitate when he called upon Aomine.

"Daiki." That was the only thing needed to get Touou's ace to dash past the red-head and punch the guy square in the jaw. He was so enraged. The punch he had just delivered was not enough at all; he wanted to beat them to death!

"What is your problem?!" A nod and another was down with a broken nose. Akashi looked at them threateningly as he advanced towards the passed out Kuroko.

"What is _your _problem." came a voice from the other side of the corridor. They all looked behind them to find a bespectacled man and a purple haired giant glaring at them. They too looked ready for murder.

"Huh?! What do you mean what is our problem?! We were obviously here before you, playing around and then you arrived!" shouted an orange haired boy. Midorima looked at them, furious. Even if he wasn't best friends with Kuroko, he was angry they had done such a thing. He had heard from Seirin that the smaller boy had a fever. He then decided to go meet Akashi. He met Murasakibara on the way. The green-haired player was worried about Kuroko; he would never admit it though. Oha-Asa had said that Aquarius' were going to have bad luck today and he had gone to give Kuroko his lucky item, a black pencil. The two tall boys had then heard a loud noise and arrived where they were now. Strangely, it was Murasakibara who spoke up.

"So it was you who hurt Kuro-chin...I'll crush you." he said with the most serious voice Midorima had ever heard him use. Such a threat, coming from a giant, put most of the thugs on guard.

Yet Akashi paid them little attention. He kneeled besides Kuroko, not caring who saw him. With his keen hearing, he had heard the teal-head's words just before he passed out. His name. The teal-head had called his name. It made him feel so angry. He hadn't been able to protect the frail boy and even then, he had called his name? Fire cursed through his veins. He was angry. At himself, for not been there. At Tetsuya, for not listening to him when he knew he was right. At those _bastards, _for ever thinking of... Slowly, his left, golden eye started to glow. He lifted the poor boy bridal style, his hatred increasing when he realised his fever had increased. He turned and stared coldly at the group of offenders. A sick joy filled the members of the Generation of Miracles when they saw a visible shiver run down their spines. None of them were even worried over the fact that Akashi was "regressing" to his former state.

"Shintaro, Atsushi." the red-head called them to his side. The two walked in between the group who unconsciously moved aside, intimidated by the tremendous pressure. They reached the four remaining members easily.

"H-Hey you! D-Don't think you can leave so easily!" exclaimed a brave soul. Foolishly brave. He was just digging his own grave, they all were. In fact you could already consider them dead. Five pair of cold and ire filled eyes turned to look at the boy. He swallowed hard and unconsciously took a step back. The leader, seeing his gang getting intimidated spoke up.

"Now, now. How about we resolve all this peacefully? I know you brats hurt two of my friends already, but I'm prepared to let it go if you accept my conditions." the Generation of Miracles stayed silent.

"Not very talkative, are you? Not that it matters, when we'll be finished with you, you'll be crying your defeat. I will decide the game we play, since you injured my comrades. We will play basketball. And if we win, you will have to _lend _me your little princess there." he finished, smirking. This time, Akashi spoke up. How was it possible for someone to be so stupid? The four remaining boys swore he had no brains.

"You are very confident, stating such things. If it is a match you want, then so be it." he replied coldly.

"Before you go prepare yourselves to loose, I will let you on a little secret." the boy grinned victoriously. "The reason we are so confident is simple. We are one of the best basketball teams in China; you don't stand a chance and the little princess will be ours." There was a moment of silence before a sudden laugh was heard. The thugs looked in front of them and saw Akashi laughing at them with the rest of his friends looking at each other as if he had said the most amusing thing in the world. Akashi's laugh was scarier than when he was mad. The leader, whose name was Lee, started getting annoyed. He was just about to shout when the red-head calmed himself down.

"Ahh, it must be fate!" he exclaimed before his face became colder than ice. "Unfortunately for you, you will soon discover you have no place in Japanese basketball. The game will start in thirty minutes. You better not be late." Without waiting for an answer, the five prodigies walked passed them and disappeared in the next corridor.

"Those brats! I'll beat them to a pulp!" the orange haired-guy exclaimed. He was the one who Aomine had punched first.

"Calm down, Tao. We will crush then soon."

XOXOXOXOXO

The Generation of Miracles arrived at the red-head's room. They watched him open the door with his key and carry a still unconscious Kuroko to a bed. He lay him down and covered him up.

"Shintaro, Atsushi, Daiki, Ryota. Go get ready and don't be late." They all left with a nod. Once the door closed, he went to his bag and took out his Rakuzan uniform. He knew it wasn't an official game but he also knew that his teammates would do the same. He put it on swiftly and turned to the sleeping boy. His glowing eye diminished and his expression softened considerably as he gazed at him. He went to the nightstand where he had left the medicine for his fever. He slowly lifted Kuroko's head and made him drink. Once he finished, he put the phantom player's head back on the bed and picked up his hand. He rested his forehead on it.

"Wait for a bit longer, Tetsuya. I promise I will end this quickly." Akashi stayed a few moments like that before his ire and his cold mask came back.

He stood up and exited the room.

**AN: Dear god! I was so nervous while writing this! I'm sure I made tons of mistakes in the flashback and the "angry" part! Well, I hope this made you want to read what's next! And please leave a review, it helps a lot!**


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: This is the eighth chapter. Before you get confused, I changed the bad guy's names to Chinese names. I have to thank Rinfantasy for making me realize that. A big thank you! Well, I hope you like it!**

There was a dark aura looming around the inn.

Akashi walked with unhurried steps in the direction of the indoor gyms where most of the schools where training that day. He didn't care if he hadn't made reservations. Anyone who dared oppose him would be brought down painfully. His previously raging hot fury had turned into icy cold hatred. Oh, how he despised those guys. In his opinion, they didn't deserve to even breathe the same air as the rest of them. He promised himself he would crush them with the most outrageous scores anyone had ever seen. Even then, he doubted it would satisfy them.

Yes, _them._

He knew all the members of the Generation of Miracles had a soft spot for the frail boy. Most of them saw him as their little brother. It was simple, really. By insulting Kuroko, those thugs had sealed their fate. It was a direct affront and none of them would stand for it. He wondered what they should do to...satiate their thirst for revenge. Quite a few _interesting _ideas popped up and he promised to keep them in mind. He smiled sadistically. He truly couldn't wait to make them swallow their words; he'd make sure they'd choke on them too. _"This will be fun."_

The red-head passed through various corridors, scaring the ones who were unfortunate enough to cross paths with him. Malice clung to him like a second skin and everyone hurried out of Akashi's way. This was the side the red-head showed to anyone who dared to anger him. There were few who had ever seen it and those at the receiving end were scarred for life. Actually, he had never felt so much _blood lust. _He _craved _their demise. Akashi himself was a bit surprised at the intensity of his own feelings. If it continued like this, they would be in serious danger. Those boys were lucky though; if he really did something that drastic, he wouldn't be able to be with his dear Tetsuya anymore. So the thugs would still live, in the end. That didn't mean he couldn't...damage them a bit, right? He darkly chuckled. Maybe he really was a little mad.

As he progressed, taller figures joined him in his walk. When they became five, the pressure was so heavy normal people had trouble breathing. Akashi smirked; it seemed he wasn't alone in his madness. An aura similar to his was emanating from the remaining players of the Generation of Miracles and while he had a lot of self-control, he couldn't say the same about some of his teammates. He would have to keep them in line if they didn't want to have a chat with the police.

They all reached the large door that led to the gyms. They all knew many schools including their own would be there already but nothing would prevent them from winning this game. Akashi opened the doors and they stepped inside, viciously ready for massive revenge.

XOXOXOXO

The respective teams of all members of the Generation of Miracles were silently practising when it happened. The sound of the doors slamming open and at the entrance stood a group of five figures that seemed ready to kill. Every single person in the gym whipped their heads to stare at the group of five prodigies that had made such a dramatic entrance. Even those who didn't know them personally cleared the way as the Generation of Miracles walked in the direction of one of the many basketball courts. They all stared at them. They formed a scary, yet odd group. They all had a different jersey with a different school name written on it. Those who knew basketball realised it was their official uniform for important games. They were dead serious about whatever they were going to do.

They reached the space where Rakuzan and Kaijo were practising.

"I need you all to clear the court._ Now_." was the direct order Akashi gave to anyone standing in the place he had chosen. Rakuzan scampered off no questions asked; they had never heard their captain so angry. It gave them the chills. They wondered who was stupid enough to defy him.

Kaijo did as well, except reluctantly. They wanted to live and the red-head looked ready to kill anyone who disobeyed him. Still, if they were going to be kicked out of their own reserved court, then Kasamatsu wanted to know why. He approached them bravely under the worried eyes of his teammates.

"It seems you all have something important to do. It looks like I have no choice but to let you use this court but only under the condition that you tell me what is going on." he addressed Akashi. He would have gone directly to Kise but at the moment, the red-head was obviously the one making the decisions. Kasamatsu had only miscalculated the amount of anger Akashi felt at the moment. It made him feel opposed easier.

"Are you questioning my actions?" he asked with venom in his voice. He was absolute! No one had the right to defy him! His golden eye glowed yet again. _"So, even though your two personalities have merged, one can still overpower the other for a certain amount of time when you're angry."_ wondered Midorima.

Kise intervened before his captain got murdered.

"Ah, Akashicchi, I'm sure Kasamatsu-senpai wasn't questioning you at all. He is simply curious." he stated. Under normal circumstances, the blond would've been panicking and begging on his knees. Oddly enough, the blond seemed calm and collected. Akashi stared at him for a while before letting it go; he didn't have time for this. His glowing eye died off.

"Well in that case, you should tell your so-called captain that he needs to be careful. After all, curiosity killed the cat." He then left the two of them and stood in the middle of the court. Aomine, Murasakibara and Midorima followed him. Kise turned to his captain.

"Sorry about that, Kasamatsu-senpai. We're a bit on edge recently, especially Akashicchi." he apologised. Kasamatsu could only nod as he was still slightly shaken at having the red-head's anger directed at him. He quickly composed himself.

"What do you plan to do with the court anyway? And why're you all wearing your uniforms?" he asked.

"You see, we're going to have an important game with some Chinese group." he answered vaguely. Kasamatsu knew he wouldn't say anything more. He didn't like being kept in the dark but he understood his ace needed to solve this problem, whatever it was. He sighed.

"Well fine. It must be pretty important if the Generation of Miracles is coming together again." he complied. Kise smiled. His foul mood wasn't gone at all but he truly appreciated his captain's understanding of him.

"Thanks!" he cheered. "They will lose with the most unimaginable pain ever." he muttered softly to himself. His captain heard it though.

"Man, you sound like they'll never see the light of day again." he remarked. Kise looked him in the eye.

"They won't live to tell the tale." he told him with absolute seriousness. Kasamatsu stared at him for a few seconds before the blond waved him off, telling him it was a joke. It didn't seem that way to him at all. He watched as his ace ran towards his teammates for this game.

XOXOXOXO

Akashi had them all standing in a circle. It was almost like in middle school except this time they were not holding each other by the neck. The red-head didn't say anything, he didn't have to. It was as clear as day what needed to be done. To crush them without mercy. Every one of them understood the gravity of the situation.

They had insulted Kuroko. They had touched their brother. They had belittled their _pride._

If there was one thing that the Generation of Miracles was absolutely proud of was Kuroko. It wasn't their incredible talent or their numerous victories. They had watched their precious friend grow. Not in a way parents would see their children grow, but a way nonetheless. They had watched and helped him perfect his basketball, his passion and they were proud to be the first team to ever have a shadow. The times when they played or hung out together were precious to all of them.

Especially to Akashi.

From the moment he had discovered Kuroko's potential, he had felt responsible of him. He hadn't understood why at first but during every practice, he had found himself paying closer attention to the phantom player than to all the rest. He had assumed it was because he was weaker than the rest of them. That had only been denial though. Denial that he had already fallen for the teal-haired boy. And then, before he had the time to organise his feelings, his second personality had took over and he had pushed his emotions concerning Kuroko to the back of his head. He had only acknowledged them after Kuroko "brought him back" by defeating him in the winter cup. When he had come to terms with himself, the longing he felt for the boy had hit him full force.

He had immediately planned something to meet with him. As an excuse, he had told his father that he was going to visit his sick uncle in Tokyo. His father had agreed and Akashi had spent the whole morning anticipating his and Kuroko's reunion. After that first, as Akashi liked to call it, date, his doubts had been confirmed. He was in love with the boy named Kuroko Tetsuya.

And that was why he couldn't forgive those thugs.

As if on cue, the doors slammed open for a second time that day. Seven boys with identical uniforms entered. The characters in their shirts were not Japanese.

XOXOXOXO

"So those bastards finally arrived, huh?" said Aomine as they watched the Chinese basketball team make their way among the steadily growing crowd. They all felt the pressure and wanted to know what could possibly happen. The two groups came face to face and one could've heard a pin drop. It was complete silence in _all _the gyms. The audience stared at the Generation of Miracles almost in awe.

The five prodigies had formed a V. Akashi was in the front. Slightly behind him and to his right was Midorima. Aomine was occupying the same position but to the red-head's left. Kise was behind the blue-haired boy with Murasakibara standing tall behind the bespectacled male. They all had an uninviting, cold expression on their faces. The other group paled in comparison but their idiocy was truly remarkable.

"Oh, I like those expressions on your faces." started the leader, Lee. "Maybe you brats will be able to put a fight after all. It will only make it more fun to us when we crush you though." he finished, laughing loudly. A cold shiver ran down the spine of the audience; was it them or did the temperature suddenly drop?

"You shouldn't count your chickens before they hatch. You would do well not to underestimate us." Akashi warned them, a hidden threat in his voice. He was already angry; they didn't want him to become even angrier. Lee narrowed his eyes.

"You are the ones who are underestimating us. You think that only the five of you will be able to last through the whole game?" he half-mocked. "Come on, I know it is only your group who insulted us but since I'm so considerate, I will let you choose someone from one of your teams." he taunted. His friends snickered. The prodigies became very irritated. _"__**We**__ insulted __**them**__? Don't make me laugh!"_

"I assure you we are more than enough to bring people like you down." Akashi answered sharply. This seemed to get to the Chinese team, they looked pissed off.

"Don't go getting cocky, brats. Once we beat you there will be nothing left." he threatened. They all glared at each other before simultaneously turning around and positioning themselves.

XOXOXOXO

No questions had been asked as to who were going to be the referees. Without needing to be told, Reo and one of the Chinese boys who was not playing entered the court. Rakuzan's vice-captain had no idea as to what was going on, but he was smart enough to sort of understand the basics of it. He knew that right now, Akashi needed someone he could trust to supervise the game. Even though he was sure that even if these guys played dirty, his captain would still win. Fortunately, he already had a ball in his arms so he took it upon him to initiate the game.

Both teams had put their tallest players to start the game. However, when it came to height, no one could compete with Murasakibara.

As soon as the ball was thrown in the air, the Generation of Miracles took control of the game. Murasakibara passed the ball to Aomine who was standing close. The power forward received it with ease. He used his great speed to get close to the basket before he was blocked by the defenders. He frowned disdainfully. _"If you think you can stop me with that, then you're dead wrong!"_

He made use of his formless style and quickly passed them. His dunk scored the first points of the game.

"Hee, it seems we have to force ourselves guys." Lee jokingly admonished his teammates. He didn't see any reason to panic. "_Beginners luck." _he thought. Later, when he would look back on it, he'd realise how wrong he was.

Lee started with the ball and made a long pass to Tao, who was standing near the middle line. The boy received it and dribbled his way to the basket. Murasakibara stood in his way. _"With a weight like that, he won't be able to stop my shot from here." _He jumped, prepared to make a three-pointer.

A foolish mistake.

"_Impossible! How can he jump like that?!" _Tao made a quick decision and passed the ball to one of his teammates standing at the other side of the three point line. The boy made a high shot and scored.

"What are you doing, Murasakibara?" frowned Aomine. "Why're you slacking off?"

"Silence, Daiki. I will not tolerate such behaviour during this game." threatened Akashi. "Furthermore, you know the exact reason as to why none of us are playing full power yet." he added before taking the ball and passing it to Midorima who did a three-pointer. Naturally, it went in despite the distance that separated him from the basket. Aomine only said _"Tch"_

The other team started with a fast break and attempted a shot. This time, Murasakibara came around and slammed the ball hard out of Lee's hands. Kise recuperated the ball before making a pass to Akashi who did an alley oop.

The other team wouldn't be left behind though. The orange haired guy made a pass to Tao and he managed to score by confusing Murasakibara.

"Guys, we should force ourselves more!" exclaimed Kise.

Midorima scowled. "Says the one who hasn't scored yet."

"So mean, Midorimacchi!"

No words were uttered after that exchange. Nothing needed to be said. They all knew the reason as to why they weren't crushing them with scores like 100-0. Two words: their bodies. Since they were prodigies, it was known that their talent could destroy them if they weren't careful. If they pushed too much, there were chances they wouldn't walk again. Because of that, the five of them had learned not to overstep their limits. It also meant it took them a long time to warm up and to become "awake".

Akashi estimated they would start playing to the full of their abilities at the second half. They would need to keep the score even until then. They were leading, but he had to admit the other team wasn't half bad and could put up a decent challenge. At least until they warmed up.

The second quarter was pretty much the same as the first with both teams getting back at each other each time they scored. All in all, it was a fairly close game. For the time being, the scores were 40-36 in favour for the Generation of Miracles. Both teams went to the benches located at the right side of the court. The five prodigies sat down and drank their water bottles in one shot.

For the first time in his life, Akashi didn't have an elaborate plan. He, who had always used his keen mind and intelligence to defeat any opponent, had decided to let strategy fall down to hell. Ever since he could remember, he had always used just that, _strategy. _And yet, he had let the almost animalistic part of him to gain control for now. He had given in to his urges. Now, the only thing that was left was to crush the other team with brute force. Akashi excelled at that too.

"Shintaro, Atsushi, Daiki, Ryota." he called his teammates. They all turned towards him with serious expressions. Akashi's own face was unreadable but they understood his feelings with the help of his glowing golden eye.

The half-time break was almost over.

"It is time." The red-head got up and the rest imitated him. The unspoken _"Crush them with all you've got." _lingered in the air. The tension was thick and heavy. Everyone was aware neither team had shown what they were capable of. The audience, completely ignored by the two teams battling it out, was eager to see the outcome of such a close game.

They could all see the difference from the first half to the second. The Generation of Miracles played like completely different people, as if a switch had been flipped during the brief intermission. The other team had lost their carefree attitude and looked determined to win. What the audience didn't know was that the Generation of Miracles took notice of the determination on the Chinese team's faces.

They weren't determined to win the game; they were determined to obliterate the idiots who had dared touch _their _Kuroko_. _Needless to say, Akashi and the remaining prodigies were anything but pleased. Their rage spiked and the audience could sense waves of anger rolling off the prodigies.

The ball was thrown in the air once more but this time, Murasakibara hit the ball before it reached its tallest point, giving it immediately to the other team.

"Starting good, huh?" taunted Lee. The Generation of Miracles ignored him.

"You're no fun." He quickly passed it to the orange haired guy and the match begun. He dribbled very fast and managed to pass Kise. The blond widened his eyes before smirking.

"That's a nice move you got there." he muttered. He got a chance to get back at the boy when he received a pass from Murasakibara. He stood in front of his opponent, dribbling.

"Thanks for the move." he told him sarcastically. Kise crouched down a little before driving past him with speedy dribbling. The orange haired guy couldn't do a thing! _"I just did that!"_ The whole team was surprised, resulting in Kise scoring an easy basket. The blond smiled triumphantly before returning to his side of the court. It felt good to finally be warmed up. Now they could beat them easily.

The Chinese team counterattacked and started with a run-and-gun style. Yet, it was nothing the prodigies hadn't encountered before. Besides, it was weaker than Seirin's. Aomine easily stole the ball but realised they had double-teamed him. He scowled. The blue-head was about to dash past them when he saw Akashi's expectant and commanding eyes. He faked a pass to his left before shooting the ball to Akashi.

The red-head caught it sharply and started running. He was blocked by Lee. A shadow obscured his features at the male's next sentences.

"You won't get pass me, brat. You're ahead of us for now, but that won't last. The little princess," he licked his lips at that." is far too tempting. He won't escape from us and he will know whatever hope he got from you, it was not well founded." he finished.

Anger clouded Akashi's mind. It seems Lee didn't know his limits. He wasn't able to judge what was good for him. If he could, he obviously wouldn't have made Akashi his enemy. The red-head would be more than pleased to open his eyes to the truth. If he had to do it forcefully, then so be it. His golden eye shined even brighter.

"You do not understand a thing. If someone is going down," the red-head's movements became even faster." then it is you alone."

Lee could do nothing but gasp as he fell down on his rear. No matter how much he ran his mouth, he couldn't resist Akashi's emperor eye. As usual, the red-head confidently walked by him. He jumped and met no resistance as he did an alley oop. His teammates were doing their jobs well.

Lee's s attempt at a fast break was brought down quickly by Midorima's steal and his three-pointer.

"_Damn! How can that guy shoot from the middle line?!" _The Chinese boys were starting to become restless, the third quarter was coming to an end and they had barely scored. They doubled their efforts but in the end, the scores were 64-40. The thugs sat down on their bench and Tao kicked his water bottle.

"Damn them!" he cursed. He was really mad. Those pretentious brats were leading and they at least had a twenty point difference! He turned to Lee who had an unfriendly expression on his face.

"Lee, we will have to use it." he almost ordered. The other boy would have been offended, but the moment called for maturity. He nodded, scowling.

"We will." he reassured him. He himself was quite angered. If they lost they would be humiliated but most important of all, they would lose the little princess. Although even if they lost, they would get him. They would have to dirty their hands but that smooth skin was well worth the effort. He smirked ominously. Oh, the things he would do to the boy...

Meanwhile, Chen, a black-haired boy, smirked."Well, if we're going to use _that, _then even with that huge lead those brats will lose. Their faces will be funny once they realise there is no hope." The rest of the team gained a confident and sadistic aura.

"Break time's over."

They got up.

XOXOXOXO

Once they entered the court for the final time, the Generation of Miracles felt those bastards had something up their sleeve. It was obvious by the way they were smirking confidently. Indeed, when someone was twenty points behind, you normally don't smile. On top of that, you normally wouldn't smile confidently. They internally shrugged. No matter what they pulled, it wouldn't be of any help against them. Especially since now, they were hell bent on rising the scores even higher in their favour.

The ball rose for the fourth time that day.

As usual, Murasakibara got the ball. He made a pass to Kise. The blond dribbled to the three-pointer line. It was nothing unusual when someone tried blocking him and he spun to get past him. Something unexpected happened when he tried scoring though. Kise had jumped to make an alley oop when it happened. The same guy who he had just passed was standing before him again and he smacked the ball incredibly fast out of his hands. He didn't even see it coming.

The eyes of the Generation of Miracles widened.

"That will knock you out of your pedestal." Lee smirked, looking at Akashi. "That's right; you're not the only ones with special moves. As you can see, we have one as well. We're not one of the best Chinese teams for nothing." With that said he managed to pass a wide-eyed Akashi and received the ball from his teammate. He dunked the ball right in.

The five prodigies scowled. It seems they were better than they initially thought. However...

"Kise-chin!" A ball flew like a rocket in the direction of Kise. It was almost as fast as Kuroko's own passes. The blond caught the ball and made a fast break. Before he could reach the hoop though, a blur passed him and just like that, the ball was not in his hands anymore. He cursed.

"Stand aside, Kise! I will handle them now." stated Aomine. Reluctantly, he agreed. The blond knew that if he couldn't do it, Aomine certainly could.

The ace quickly blocked the approaching player before baring his teeth and lunging at him. He deftly stole the ball but failed to notice that Chen was behind him. Chen smacked the ball out of Aomine's hands, giving it back to his teammate who scored a three-pointer. The blue haired boy fumed.

Akashi started with the ball. He was beginning to get irritated. Why was it that those punks were scoring that many points in a row? Hadn't they all decided that they were going _**down**_? He passed the ball to Midorima. The shooter had to admit, he was pretty tired. Those guys were remotely good and that was the reason as to why his movements were slower; he was losing a bit of stamina.

The opposing team didn't waste the opportunity. Before Midorima had reached the height he needed to shoot, they stole the ball. The green haired male was speechless. Only twice did this happen before and it was with Akashi and Kagami, two players whom he recognised the talent. To have these thugs stop his shot was degrading and even more so when they scored. He pushed up his glasses in an irritated manner.

Murasakibara was mad. He had let quite a few shots get pass him since he had been shocked and distracted by the other teams _speed. _Because really, that was all it was; incredible speed that confused your senses and perplexed you. Still, Murasakibara felt that something was off. He couldn't help but notice that even if they were fast, they shouldn't be able to pass them. Especially Akashi. But he was too pissed off to give it any more thought.

Akashi did, however. He quickly found out their "trick" and frowned when he came to the conclusion that it wouldn't be that easy to counter it. There was a way, but it took great effort on his part. Those thugs had incredible speed on their own, but they used an optical illusion to make them seem faster. When one of them started running, another one who was just at the corner of your peripheral vision did as well. In such, your sight detects two very fast movements. You become confused and spot those two movements only as blurs which gives the impression that they are incredibly fast.

By pure instinct, both teams were now facing each other almost in a straight line. No one was truly marking anyone. Something crucial was going to happen, they all felt it. Akashi was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard a laugh. It came from Lee who was just in front of him.

"Hahahaha! Oh boy! This is just so funny!" he continued laughing to himself. "You're just like the rest of them! None of our previous opponents have ever come close to defeating us and you're the same! You may still be leading but tell me something, when was the last time you scored a point?" The anger, hatred and tension all rose at the same time.

Lee grinned viciously. "And you know what?" The Generation of Miracles scowled harshly. For some reason, they felt like they would want to murder the guy when he finished talking. They were already on the verge of losing it.

"I've finally decided how I was going to eat up the little princess." That remark was accompanied by the snorts of laughter from his adjacent teammates. "We will crush you all here and maybe we'll let you watch if you beg us!" Five pairs of colourful eyes flashed.

"Shut up!" was the combined roar of five voices. That was the final straw. They were positively _seething._ They had been holding back. They always did. It was necessary so that their bodies wouldn't sustain any damage. But at the moment, they couldn't care less.

Red, blue, yellow, purple and green lights appeared in the eyes of the Generation of Miracles. They had all entered the zone. The time for being merciful was over. These bastards would have a taste of bitter defeat.

As if they shared a single mind, the five prodigies met the other team head on all at once. Surprised, the Chinese guys couldn't do anything at their lightning fast movements.

"Hey hey, what is this?" worried Chen. He hadn't even seen them move. And the way they were so in synch with each other, as if they had played together all their lives!

"I-I'm sure it's nothing." tried the orange haired guy, sounding utterly unconvincing.

"Wait, could it be that they're-"Tao couldn't finish his sentence when Midorima snatched the ball he had just received from Lee out of his grasp and made a shoot. He widened his eyes. The guy hadn't even used a shooting motion! He had just made some random movement and yet the ball went right in! Tao seriously started to worry. And a worried Tao makes for an angry one.

"What do you think you're doing?!" he shouted at his teammate. "Don't you know how to block?!" he continued. He knew it wasn't the guy's fault, but he couldn't help it. He needed to vent some anger. He was interrupted though.

"Hee...You shouldn't blame him when you were at fault too. Besides, I'll crush you both." Tao turned quickly only to falter back once he felt the tremendous pressure from Murasakibara's Thor Hammer. He was certain the basket would topple over.

"Atsushi, do not break the hoop."

At that command, it seemed like the purple haired male adjusted his strength. Tao wasn't sure he was glad that the intimidating red-head had such power over such a giant. The hoop rocked back and forth dangerously before settling down.

The Generation of Miracles scored time and again without the other team gaining a single point.

"_This is not good." _thought Lee. _"They're in the zone! I didn't think these brats could do this! If we don't find a way to neutralise it, we'll lose!"_

Lee was about catch a pass but Kise stole it, using Aomine's perfect copy. When he was in the zone, the blond didn't have a time limit and he could copy his teammate's full strength when they too were in the zone. Pretty handy if you asked him. He decided to jump using Kagami's unstoppable sky walking and dunked with his own strength.

He returned to his side of the court, watching the disbelieving expressions of the other team. _"Akashicchi has too much influence over me."_ he thought after he suppressed an almost crazy smile.

He was about to intervene when the Chinese team made another poor attempt at a fast break but a pointed look from Akashi stopped him. It clearly said "_I will handle them now."_ Kise retreated. That look in the eyes of his former captain told him playtime was over. He took note that there was only twenty seconds left to the game and he realised that even if he was in the zone, Akashi hadn't done much. It looked like he was now ready to end all this. And of course, knowing Akashi, it would be flashy and unexpected.

The red-head was facing Lee on a one-on-one. He flashed a smirk.

"Now do you believe me when I say that we are more than enough to bring you down?" taunted Akashi. He was feeling sadistic and was not about to mind his manners with these people.

"...I would advise you to shut your mouth." 15 seconds left. Akashi became angry. How dare such lowly scum order him around?!

"You are in no position to be saying that to anybody." he spat. Lee scowled.

"You may have won fairly, but who said _we _were fair?" he stated. "Even if you defeat us here, we will find another way to get to the little princess." he threatened. While he said that, Chen and Tao approached him before encircling Akashi. They were triple-teaming him. The red-head remained expressionless.

"And one more thing." he added, eyes glinting. "If we can't win, then we will bring you down with us." The three of them started to close in on the point-guard. There was something in the way they moved that led you to believe they were going to strike. Akashi merely exhaled loudly. 10 seconds left.

"You really don't understand anything." A glowing golden eye stared at them. "You can't do anything to me." he stated. His slowly started moving even though he didn't have the ball. His movements gained speed and after a series of tricks, _all _five members of the opposing team were in the ground.

_5 seconds left._

Akashi recuperated the ball from the fallen Lee and sprinted towards the hoop.

_2 seconds left._

He jumped. Just before the fourth quarter ended, he dunked the last points of the game.

"The game's over!" shouted Reo. The points were 70-46. It wasn't that great but oh well.

The Generation of Miracles breathed in a long sigh. It was over. They had avenged Kuroko. Still, they knew this would never be enough, but they also knew the teal-haired boy wouldn't want them to beat those guys up. He was a pacifist after all and they respected his wishes. They decided to leave it at that. As long as those thugs learned their lesson, of course.

"How can this be?!" Life was full of idiots, wasn't it?

"How could we humiliate ourselves this way?! You were supposed to have a big injury in the head! How the hell did you make us _all _fall?!" Lee inquired loudly. The five prodigies turned towards him, eyes cold.

"Do not shout. You are damaging my ears with your despicable voice." Akashi started. "As for your question, you all made it easy for me. As you said, you wanted to knock me out. You had your eyes on me the whole time since you were so angry. The same applies to all your teammates. I only needed to manoeuvre my body a bit to make you all lose your balance." the red-head finished evenly. The Chinese were red all the way to the tips of their ears.

"Just you wait." Lee growled. "This isn't over. I advise you to keep a close watch over the little princess." he snarled before turning his back on them and walking away.

A dangerous glint entered the eyes of the Generation of Miracles. They all looked at each and silently nodded with tight faces. Some... safety precautions would have to be applied later on. For now though, they silently left the terrain and the gym without as much as an explanation at the parting crowd. The doors echoed loudly as they closed.

XOXOXOXO

Akashi was walking in the direction of his room. Once they had exited the gym, they had all parted ways without a single glance. They were all going to take a shower and then, the hunt would begin.

He reached his room and opened the door.

He was greeted by the sight of Kuroko still sleeping soundly. Akashi closed the door and went to sit at the foot of his bed. He stopped before he reached it though when he realised he was drenched in sweat. He decided to take a quick shower first. He stripped out of his clothes with no shame whatsoever before stepping into the bathroom. The hot water felt relaxing against his recently-used muscles and the red-head allowed himself to stay there a few minutes longer than usual. He then scrubbed himself clean and closed the tab. He took a white, fluffy towel and dried himself. Since he hadn't brought any clothes, he stepped outside with only a towel at his waist.

Akashi rummaged through his luggage before he found a pair of boxers and dark gray pants. He put both of them on and was starting to search for a shirt when he heard Kuroko stir. He immediately abandoned his previous task and hurried at his side. Teal blue eyes slowly opened and looked up at him.

"Akashi...-kun?" he asked drowsily. The red-head looked at him warmly.

"Yes, Tetsuya. It's me." he reassured him. He took a seat at the edge of the bed and looked him in the eye. He put his hand on his forehead to check his temperature. The medicine seemed to be taking effect but he wasn't completely healed. Akashi exhaled a breath he didn't knew he was holding and smiled.

"It looks like your fever has gone down a bit. You shouldn't exert yourself though." he stated. Kuroko looked at him before blushing. It had took him a while to realise the red-head was half-naked. It never showed since Akashi almost always wore semi-formal clothes but god, he had a great body. His muscles were toned to perfection and he had a narrow, elegant waist. Kuroko stopped his line of thinking. He didn't need a nosebleed right at the moment. Of course, Akashi had caught him staring and he just chuckled to himself.

Kuroko suddenly remembered what had happened just before he blacked out and he bolted upright, instantly getting dizzy. The red-head's eyes darkened a bit and he immediately pushed him back down. He knew Kuroko would eventually remember but he wished the teal-head hadn't. He didn't need to remember those painful moments.

"A-Akashi-kun, w-what happened? The last thing I remember is seeing you but I don't know if it was real or just something my mind came up with." Kuroko asked. He was really worried.

"Tetsuya." Akashi put a hand on the other boy's shoulder to calm him down. He approached his face slightly. "That was me who you saw back there." he reassured him. "They didn't do anything to you. Unless they tried something before I arrived?" the red-head inquired. It was critical he knew everything they had done to Kuroko.

"Well, they didn't do much but they did kick me in the stomach."Kuroko told his former captain. He didn't know if it was a good idea since the red-head had an almost scary look when he heard that. Before the teal-head could ask what he was thinking about, he felt a gush of cold air hit his abdomen. He hissed slightly before looking down. Akashi had taken out the covers and had lifted his shirt. He was looking intently at his stomach with dark eyes. Kuroko managed to catch a glimpse of an angry purple bruise before the red-head covered him again.

Akashi was not happy. The bruise Kuroko had wouldn't heal fast. It seems those thugs had not minded their strength. The red-head knew they fully meant their threat when they said to keep an eye on Kuroko. However, after what he was planning on doing, they wouldn't come near the teal haired boy ever again. He stood up.

"Tetsuya, your bruise is quite big and you will need to apply some cream so it will heal faster. Wait for me, I will go get you some." he told him. Kuroko looked up at him. For some reason, he knew the red-head was going to do much more than just fetch cream.

"Akashi-kun, are you going somewhere else too?" The point-guard smiled. _"As sharp and blunt as ever."_

"Yes. I plan on...running some errands before coming back. It shouldn't take too long." Kuroko nodded dubiously. Akashi looked anything but innocent.

"If you say so."

The red-head moved over to his luggage and continued where he had left off. He chose a black V-neck shirt and a dark blue cardigan to go with his pants. He swiftly put them on before turning to Kuroko.

"By the way, Tetsuya. We had a basketball match with those thugs." he told him nonchalantly. The phantom player's eyes widened. He hadn't expected that at all.

"You did?" he asked dumbly. He was still surprised. Akashi smiled before nodding and making his way towards the door.

"We did. We won of course but if you'd like, I'll tell you the details later." he finished. He grabbed the key that was near the door and put on his white shoes.

"I'd love to Akashi-kun." Kuroko quickly replied. He was curious about how the game went.

"Good. Well then, I'll see you in a few and don't forget to take your medicine, it is due in fifteen minutes." The door closed behind him.

XOXOXOXO

As soon as he left Kuroko, Akashi regained an impenetrable expression. He felt it all the way to the core of his being. A new type of game had begun. Cat and mouse. A version of the game where the mice didn't know they were hunted.

Akashi prowled the whole inn in search of his "pray". He knew all the members of the Generation of Miracles had started. After a little while of searching, he found what he was looking for.

"Ah, how lucky I am. I didn't expect to find you here, Lee."

XOXOXOXO

"What do you want?" spat out a certain orange-haired Chinese boy. He was met by a pair of cold blue eyes throwing daggers at him. Aomine ignored his question.

"Are you still planning on harassing Tetsu?" he asked. The other guy smirked.

"Are you an idiot? I thought we made it clear earlier. Maybe we'll have to do a demonstration with the little princess for you to understand." he told him mockingly. Aomine remained in silence for a while, his bangs obscuring his expression. He suddenly lifted his face. It showed an eager grin and dangerous eyes.

"You are the idiot. You just gave me all the more reason to beat you up. After all, I should continue what I started, as Akashi says."

XOXOXOXO

"You're Chen, right?" asked a cheerful blond. His cheerfulness was anything but welcoming though. Instead, it promised something painful.

"And you're the idiot blond." responded Chen. He was in no mood to deal with any of those brats. It was just his luck that he encountered the most annoying. He turned his back on Kise.

"You are in no position to say that, you know?" Chen heard over his shoulder.

"What did you-"His retort was cut short when he saw the look on the other's eyes. They were nothing like the eyes the blond had before. He looked like a completely different person, all the childish behaviour gone.

Kise took a step forward. Chan backed away.

The blond continued. "What I mean is," he licked his lips. "You're in trouble."

XOXOXOXO

There was a purple-haired giant in front of Tao. He just stood there with nothing on his hands and looking straight at him. It was unnerving.

"If you're not going to say anything then move out of the way!" exploded Tao. They had already beaten them and now they wanted to humiliate him? He walked forward stomping his feet in rage but a massive hand pushed him backwards.

"You are annoying." he heard. Tao couldn't utter a word when he heard the seriousness in Murasakibara's voice. Even when they were playing basketball, this guy had always a lazy aura around him. Now he seemed completely awake.

"You even touched and insulted Kuro-chin." A large hand slowly lifted. "I'll crush you."

XOXOXOXO

"I swear, why did I get stuck with someone as annoying as this guy?" asked a green-haired male. He sighed. If he had this guy, then the others obviously had the rest.

"What do you mean by that?!" He sighed again. The unknown Chinese boy just wouldn't stop screaming.

"Hey! Are you listening you idiotic frea-"

"_**Shut up**__." _Midorima cut him off. Now he was annoyed. Not only had they scorned the Generation of Miracles and touched Kuroko, they had even insulted him. And here he was planning to let him go easy. He pushed up his glasses that reflected the light, hiding his expression. After a sudden movement, his irritation showed.

"You have nowhere to run, so be quite and make it easier for the both of us."

XOXOXOXO

"You!" stated a loud and annoyed voice.

"Yes, Me." mocked the red-head. He was amused at seeing Lee's reaction. Darkly amused.

"What do you want, brat?" Akashi's smile turned tight.

"I am getting quite annoyed with that insult and I advise you to stop." he warned him. He was no brat and it just fuelled his anger when Lee called him one.

"And why should I? You won't even lift a finger at me." Lee was sure he was confronted by a coward. He was confident in the court but when he was be confronted with fists, he was sure Akashi would run with his tail between his legs.

Oh how wrong he was. Akashi smirked mockingly.

"You truly don't know who we are, huh?" he asked.

"What?"

"You have no idea who you made your enemies earlier." Akashi stated. "Have you ever heard the name Generation of Miracles?" Lee's eyes widened. No way! These brats couldn't be the famous Generation of Miracles that crushed all their enemies without mercy! The realisation of what he had done downed on him and he started to retreat.

The red-head's smirk turned ominous.

He approached the Chinese boy with slow, deliberate steps. When he was close enough he whispered near his ear.

"We have never resorted to physical violence but this time calls for drastic measures, don't you think? Do not worry; you will not fall down alone. Your dear teammates should join you soon. I trust you will inform those who will not receive _special _treatment of your standing?" The shudder he received in response encouraged his half-sadistic side.

"Let me tell you again, you have no place in Japanese basketball."

**AN: I'm so sorry for the late update! I had things to do and since I got a beta-reader I could not post the chapter right away. But in exchange, this chapter is super long. It will probably be the longest one you'll get for this story. Unless I'm feeling super inspired for the last one (which will probably be the case). I'm so nervous for the action scene; I know I messed it up. Please, leave a review! And lastly, thank you my lovely beta-reader who helped for the first time with this chapter! **


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: Now on with chapter 9!**

"They did what?!" Akashi sighed. They were so loud.

He was in the lobby with the Seirin basketball team, informing them of what those thugs had done to Kuroko. He hadn't really wanted to tell them, but they were his teammates and thus deserved to know. The team was in a state of shock and outrage. He was regretting his decision after the nth outraged exclamation filled his ears. Although, who was he to judge them? He had reacted even stronger, so he would just let it pass.

"You heard me the first time. Do not make me repeat myself." the red-head retorted.

"How can you be so calm about this?! They touched Kuroko!" Kagami shouted. Out of all the Seirin players, he was the one making the most noise. The taller red-head was pacing angrily and glaring at Akashi as if it were his fault. He was quite obviously the most affected. The fact that Kuroko was his best friend might have something to do with it. If he was honest, Akashi didn't really like that relationship. He still considered Kagami to be a nuisance and saw him unfit to have any form of relationship with the teal-head.

And no, he wasn't jealous at all.

"Do not shout. And why do you think we played a basketball game?"The red-head asked. The fussing basketball team stilled for a second.

"_**Oh**__." _Akashi rolled his eyes. They weren't very smart, were they? Still, Kagami felt that just a basketball game wasn't enough.

"Are you kidding me? You seriously let them get away with just that?!" Kagami argued. He was really angry. He had seen those thugs and hadn't liked them from the moment he saw them, but to know that they had touched and insulted Kuroko? He wasn't the only one feeling murder intent. The entire Seirin team was glaring at Akashi. The smaller red-head frowned.

"Who do you take me for?" he inquired, offended. "They won't even be in the same country as Tetsuya again." he added darkly. Normal people would've started slowly backing away and wondering if he had committed the capital offense, but at the moment Seirin thought nothing of it.

"How was it?" asked Kagami.

"Very hard on them I should say." answered Akashi.

"Good." the Seirin players plus the coach finished. There was a small moment of silence which sent cold shivers down their spines.

"At any rate, the real reason I came here was to inform you that Tetsuya will not be practicing with you today. He has a large bruise from those Chinese boys and it would be preferable if he didn't exert himself too much. I will be staying with him for the rest of the day." said Akashi, clearly implying he would accept nothing but an agreement. Since she couldn't really do something for Kuroko to heal faster, Riko had no choice but to agree. Besides, Kuroko was her friend and she wanted him to get well soon. He would have to make up for the training he missed though. And she planned on putting the whole team through hell.

"Good. I understand it would be counterproductive for Tetsuya to miss too many training sessions. I will evaluate his condition tomorrow and will determine if he is fit for very light training. If he is, I will be the one supervising him." announced Akashi before he turned his back on them. He didn't wait for an answer as he started to walk away but a voice stopped him.

"Take good care of him." Kagami observed how Akashi paused slightly before continuing without answering him. The taller red-head understood the message though.

"_Of course."_

Kagami nodded despite Akashi being unable to see him. He thought of following him to check on Kuroko but the voice of his coach along with her hand on his shoulder deterred that thought.

"Ka-ga-mi-kun!" she started, frighteningly sweet. "Were you planning on going somewhere? Kuroko-kun might be injured and allowed to skip practice, but you are going to run all day through the mountain to increase your stamina!" Riko declared.

Kagami dropped his shoulders. It seems there was no way to go around what his evil coach had planned for all of them. Some protest had arisen but they had immediately ceased when Riko glared and threatened them with more hellish training. All the boys from Seirin silently groaned and started following after the brunette who was whistling happily.

XOXOXOXO

Akashi was walking up the stairs when Reo accosted him.

"Hello, Sei-chan. How are you?" he asked. Akashi looked at him before gesturing for him to follow as he continued his ascension.

"I am well. You?" he responded. The black-haired man nodded asking him something that almost had Akashi gasping.

"By the way, Sei-chan, did you order room service?" The red-head had completely forgotten about that. He had gone over to the kitchen with Ryota and Daiki well over an hour ago.

"Now that you mention it, I did." he conceded. "But how would you know that?" asked Akashi. He wasn't really suspicious but if he had seen the girl, then he wouldn't have to return to the kitchen afterwards.

"Well, there was this girl who was carrying a tray with food up to your room. At least that's what Mayuzumi said. He was the one who told the maid you were incredibly busy and that she had to return with it two hours later." The red-head nodded, satisfied.

As they approached the red-head's room, they encountered the girl who had helped Akashi before in the kitchen.

"Oh, it's you!" she exclaimed once she saw Akashi. "Your friend told me I needed to come back with the food two hours later." she told him.

"I have heard of that and I am terribly sorry for the inconvenience." apologised Akashi. He was feeling a little guilty since the girl had been very helpful. She just waved him off though.

"No worries! It's true that it took more time but that's not a problem. Besides," she grinned at that. "Your basketball match was very entertaining. I gotta say, you're very good." she told him. Akashi was confused.

"Ah, thank you. You saw that?" he asked. The girl understood he wanted her to elaborate.

"Yeah, there was no commotion coming from the gyms and so the staff decided to send some people down to check them. After all, it was weird that there wasn't any noise with that many schools practicing. I was chosen to go, but in the end half the staff was watching the game." she explained.

"I see." Akashi nodded. The girl smiled.

"Uh-huh. I couldn't really understand what you said during all the game but man, your team looked really mad!" she commented. Akashi thought it best to lie to her.

"Ah. They insulted us during the game and we hardly appreciate being treated as such. I believe we let it get to our heads." he concluded. The girl merely nodded before checking her watch and widening her eyes.

"Goodness gracious, I'm late for my shift!" she exclaimed. Since they had already arrived at the red-head's room, she gave the tray to Akashi who received it with gratitude.

"I'm sorry, but I need to get going or else I'm going to get scolded again!" she apologised to Akashi who smiled politely.

"Don't worry, we understand." She left after apologising one last time. Before Akashi inserted his key in the door, Reo called out to him.

"So, Sei-chan, do you like the girl?" The red-head turned and looked at him as if he had grown another head.

"Do not be ridiculous." he answered promptly. "I do not like her; she is merely a new acquaintance at best. She only helped me get food. I do not see where such absurd conclusions come from." he stated flatly. It was true, she was lively and made for good company but the only person he would ever like would be Kuroko.

Reo nodded with his hands raised in surrender before muttering something resembling "Why can't you be nice to us like that also?". He quickly departed and returned to the room he shared with Mayuzumi. Akashi had already given him the details of what their training menus were going to be for that day, and none of them would dare to disobey him even if he was kinder than before. Especially with what he had done to the Chinese boys earlier that day. They weren't stupid; they knew his captain did some violent things to assure the safety of Kuroko. They didn't want to see him unleash his fury ever again.

Akashi observed Reo walk away and he finally opened his door. He stepped in and saw Kuroko laying on his back and staring into space with a small frown on his face. The red-head closed the door and stepped inside the room. The teal-head immediately looked at him and his features unconsciously lit up. Akashi chuckled. _"It's going well."_

He set the tray on the bedside table and sat next to Kuroko on the teal-head's bed.

"How are you feeling, Tetsuya?" he asked. The phantom player smiled one of his rare smiles that were actually becoming more frequent whenever Akashi was around.

"My fever has gone down. I feel a lot better and it's all thanks to you Akashi-kun." he told him. The red-head grinned softly before shaking his head a little.

"That's not true. You got better thanks to the medicine you took." he countered. Akashi was feeling strangely modest at the moment. He got up and helped Kuroko into a seating position.

"But the medicine came from _you._" The teal-head continued. He was not about to back out on this one. The red-head smirked at the determination in those blue eyes before conceding defeat.

"If you say so." he relented. He took the tray he had left at an arm's reach and set it in front of Kuroko.

"It is a bit late for breakfast but since I had already ordered it, we may as well eat it." Akashi watched in confusion as the teal-head's expression soured. The shorter male was frowning at the tray as if it had insulted him. The red-head raised an eyebrow, wondering where this came from.

"Is something wrong, Tetsuya?" he asked. He was curious as to what could get Kuroko to pout so cutely.

"..." The phantom sixth man remained silent for a moment before he looked away bashfully.

"Who was the girl who gave you this food?"

_Oh._

Akashi smirked discretely while Kuroko was looking intently at the wall before answering calmly.

"That was one of the workers of the inn. She is a very nice girl. When you had a fever and I was in a hurry to come back, she offered to bring it to the room." he explained. He observed Kuroko's reaction.

The other boy's frown had deepened and his pouting had intensified. The teal-head didn't seem to be aware of his actions. Akashi was feeling playful, so he decided to tease him.

"Tetsuya, look at me." he ordered. The teal-head reluctantly turned his head towards Akashi but his gaze stopped just below those heterochromatic orbs. He didn't open his mouth to say anything.

Akashi leaned in closer.

"Why are you avoiding my eyes?" he asked, teasing yet serious at the same time. Kuroko was feeling self conscious at the proximity between them and couldn't say anything.

Akashi grinned deviously. "Could it be that you're jealous?"

The teal-head's eyes widened at the sudden question.

"W-What are you saying Akashi-kun!" There was no way he was feeling jealous! Akashi was only a friend. A very close friend but only that. Right? Akashi smiled at Kuroko's inner turmoil before relieving him of his confusion.

"Don't make that face, I was only joking." he reassured him. Kuroko immediately looked him in the eye and blushed at his own gullibility. He mumbled something Akashi didn't quite catch but he just waved it off.

"Akashi-kun is mean." he stated flatly with a pout. He was a little mad the red-head had played such a cruel joke on him. His former captain tried to stifle a laugh that escaped anyway and Kuroko was transfixed.

It was a light and soft sound and Kuroko concluded he would love to hear Akashi laugh more often. It was a pleasant, soothing and elegant sound. He promised himself he would give it his all so that the red-head could laugh freely since it was obvious he was emotionally reserved. The teal-head was glad the taller male felt comfortable enough in his presence to let his guard down to that extent.

"Haa...I'm sorry." Akashi apologised when he managed to control his laughter. A few snickers escaped again before he completely settled down. He didn't lose his warm smile though. The red-head truly couldn't remember the last time he had laughed or felt so content. It must have been ages ago. He looked at Kuroko fondly as the teal-head started eating. He had really changed him for the better and Akashi was grateful to him. He didn't think he would be able to laugh like that in front of others, but he was confident he could someday reach that stage if Kuroko helped him. But for that, Kuroko needed to realize his own feelings. And he needed more time.

"I'll forgive Akashi-kun if you treat me to a vanilla milkshake later on." the teal-head told him. In truth, he had already forgiven the read-head the moment he started laughing, but there was no harm in taking advantage of the situation, right? Besides, it wasn't as if he was asking the red-head for the world or something.

"You win, Tetsuya. I will buy you a milkshake from the small store near-by after dinner." The boy smiled happily at that. Akashi chuckled. He didn't mind giving in to Kuroko's demand. He had seen the almost imperceptible flinch that the other had made when he had teased him. A slight look of pain had overcome his expression right after he had made a movement to look at him when he started laughing. Akashi concluded the teal-head wouldn't be able to train. Since the red-head wasn't planning on leaving him alone for a second time, it meant they were going to be together for the rest of the day. He quickly thought of what they could do and smiled.

"Tetsuya, I was wondering." he started. Kuroko tilted his head slightly in curiosity and nodded for him to go on.

"It is pretty obvious your bruise hurts and you will not be able to train. So what do you say we go to beach?" he proposed. The phantom sixth man widened his eyes before smiling.

"That would be wonderful, Akashi-kun." he answered eagerly before he frowned a bit. "But are you sure it's ok for you? I mean, I may be slightly injured, but you are the captain of Rakuzan. Is it ok to spend the whole day with me?" he asked worriedly. He didn't want to cause any more trouble for the red-head. Akashi smiled before reassuring him.

"Do not worry. I gave Reo clear instructions about what needed to be done and they know the consequences if they do not meet their quota." the red-head stated calmly. He had no worries about what his teammates would be doing that day. Besides, he deserved a break and what better way than to be with his Tetsuya?

"In that case, then I'd be happy to go to the beach with you, Akashi-kun." Kuroko decided. His former captain nodded.

"Well, we better change then." he said before helping Kuroko stand despite the other's protests that he could do it alone. Once the teal-head was stable on his feet, he shook off the amused red-head's grip. He then made his way to the drawers that contained his clothing and took out a simple white and blue stripped shirt along with his blue swimming trunks. He turned to Akashi and saw him rummaging through his suitcase. He was a little surprised at this.

"Akashi-kun, you haven't put away your clothes yet?" he asked. Hearing that, the red-head stopped for a moment and glanced at him before speaking.

"No, I haven't. Normally, when we come here, I don't take my clothes out of my suitcase since in the end I'll be putting them back in anyway." he answered. The point guard found what he was looking for and turned towards Kuroko with a white, short-sleeved shirt and his black swimming trunks.

"Is that so? I would've thought Akashi-kun would have been the first to arrange everything neatly." Kuroko told him frankly. The other raised an eyebrow in his direction.

"And why is that?" he asked mischievously. He had a feeling Kuroko didn't really know how to explain it and it was fun watching his troubled expression while he tried to phrase it.

"Well, I'm not sure how to explain it. You just seem like the kind of person who'd want everything to be clean and organised." the teal-head answered. Akashi nodded. He supposed he did give off that impression.

"Alright then. When we come back, I'll unpack." he finished before telling Kuroko to go change in the bathroom while he changed in the bedroom. Once he finished, Kuroko exited the bathroom and was met with the sight of Akashi in his swimming trunks and his shirt opened, revealing his sculpted torso. Careful not to stare this time, he approached him with silent steps. The red-head turned towards him.

"Tetsuya, you should bring something like a book since we will be staying at the beach for several hours." Akashi told him. He nodded and made his way to his bag. It was small, but he had brought it specially for occasions like these where he didn't need to bring much. He checked inside and saw he only had a couple of books and an empty water bottle. He threw the bottle away and decided that what he had in his bag was enough for the day. The only thing he added was his wallet and a towel.

"Are you ready?" he heard Akashi ask from somewhere behind him. He lifted his bag on his shoulders. He turned and saw that Akashi had packed pretty much the same things he had. Kuroko nodded with a smile. The teal-head hadn't gone to the beach just to relax in a long time and he was eager to get there. Akashi chuckled at his obvious excitement.

"Then shall we get going?" he said as he opened the door. Kuroko thanked him and they made their way to the entrance of the hotel.

XOXOXOXO

The ride to the beach was short. Akashi and Kuroko had ridden a bus that took them from the inn all the way to the beach. From there, they had walked a little to find a nice spot to settle in. As they progressed, there were more and more people until the beach became crowded and they reached the stalls. Kuroko pointed to a spot that was free and didn't have too many people around. It was almost completely at the back, near a big rock.

"Akashi-kun, I think that would be a good place to lay down." he suggested. "It looks like there aren't that many people around it either." The red-head considered it before nodding.

"Yes, it looks like a good enough place." he conceded. "You have sharp eyes, Tetsuya." he praised. They both strolled in the direction of the spot they had chosen before setting their things down. Akashi surveyed the area and he noticed a stall that was renting beach chairs.

"Tetsuya, wait for me here." he addressed the teal-head. Kuroko nodded and watched him walk away. In the meantime, he got out his towel and laid it down on the sand. He sat down and grimaced slightly when he felt a stab of pain on his abdomen. He frowned. He sat there, wondering whether or not he should take off his shirt. If he did, everyone would be able to see his bruise. If he didn't, he would die from the heat. He shrugged internally. Who would notice him anyway? He peeled off his shirt and was glad that his bruise wasn't as dark as he thought it was. It would darken after a few days but right now, it wasn't so bad. That was when Akashi came back, a chair folded under each arm. Kuroko was surprised.

"Akashi-kun? Where did you get those chairs? And if you were going to bring them here, why didn't ask for my help?" he asked, a little frustrated. He wasn't _completely _incapacitated.

"I didn't mean to upset you." Akashi smiled apologetically. "I saw a stall close-by that had these chairs, so I thought it would be more comfortable." the red-head explained as he set down both chairs. They weren't that heavy for him. All that extra training he did by himself was pretty helpful.

"Still, you should have informed me of your intentions." Kuroko pouted. He knew Akashi had done this alone because he didn't want him to exert himself, but he could at least help him carry a chair!

"How about this?" the red-head tried. "I will go get the parasol right now and when we leave, you will help me carry the things back." the red-head suggested. The phantom man looked at him before complying silently. The red-head set off again and when he returned, the chairs had already been set up and Kuroko was sprawled out on one of them. Akashi grinned before setting up the umbrella so that it provided them with much needed shade. He heard Kuroko sigh in relief as he sat down on his own chair. The red-head took his bag and searched through it. Since they were at the beach, they were going to be exposed to the UV rays and as such, needed proper protection. He called Kuroko.

"Tetsuya," he started. "Do you have sunscreen?" he asked. He watched as the shorter boy's eyes flew open. Apparently not.

Kuroko widened his eyes when he didn't recall putting sunscreen in his bag. He sighed at his own forgetfulness before turning to Akashi and shaking his head. The red-head seemed quite amused by the situation and he resisted the urge to pout.

Akashi smiled.

"Well, it doesn't matter." he chuckled. "I will lend you mine once I'm done with it" he told the teal-head as he took off his shirt and uncapped the bottle. He started smearing the coconut scented cream on his arms and then he passed to his torso and legs. When he finished, he turned to Kuroko with a mischievous smirk.

"Tetsuya, do you think you could help me?" he asked sweetly. Kuroko observed him suspiciously. That smile of his meant that he would be either very shocked or embarrassed at what the red-head would say next.

"With what, Akashi-kun?" he asked cautiously. Akashi sensed his reserve and his smirk widened. It didn't matter what precautions he took, the red-head was not letting him off the hook for this one.

"Do you think you could apply sunscreen on my back?" Kuroko was speechless. Sure, he was expecting something weird but he didn't think it would be _this _at all. He looked at Akashi in disbelief.

"I can't reach that far." the red-head explained innocently. Inside his mind, he was laughing at the smaller boy's reaction. He was softer with Kuroko, but that didn't mean he didn't enjoy teasing him. His reactions were funny and he wondered why he didn't do this more often back in the days. Probably because he hadn't realized his feelings.

"If Akashi-kun says so." he heard. The red-head nodded confidently and turned his back to Kuroko. He shivered a bit when he first felt the cream; it was cold.

Kuroko diligently applied sunscreen to the red-head's back, rubbing and not missing a single spot. He was still surprised Akashi had asked him to do such a thing. It was something completely unpredictable. Akashi seemed to be teasing him more than before. He seemed to have taken a liking to it too. The teal-head pouted. Kagami and Aomine were enough; he didn't need Akashi to start too. And yet, it felt different with the red-head. He had caught himself blushing a few times when the point guard teased him while with the other two, he would've just brushed it off.

Like right now.

He would be lying if he denied that he was uncomfortable and had a slight blush on his face when he applied the sunscreen. And it wasn't supposed to be like that. Akashi was a male and a friend; he shouldn't be blushing at all! Kuroko wasn't one to run away from his feelings, but he found that he wasn't ready for what laid in store for him. So he ignored his beating heart on concentrated on finishing his task as soon as possible.

Akashi smiled once he felt Kuroko finish. He turned around and grabbed the bottle from the other unsuspecting boy. Under questioning eyes, he made him rotate so that Kuroko's back was facing him. He smirked once he heard a gasp as his cream-covered hand came into contact with the teal-head's back.

"Cold?" he asked ironically. He didn't know why, but he was feeling really mischievous that day. He laughed a little when he received no response. He handed the tube back to the phantom player and observed as he pouted and half-glared in his direction. He laughed a little more before he decided to change the subject.

"Tetsuya, are you still interested in knowing how we beat those thugs in the basketball game?" Akashi asked nonchalantly. Said bluenette whippedhis head to look at him with expectant eyes. The red-head snickered at his eagerness before settling down on the chair and motioning for Kuroko to do the same. Once they were comfortable he began a detailed description of the game he had played earlier that day.

**AN: Well, here it is. I hope you liked it. Oh, and that will not be the only "jealous" scene you will see in this story. Actually, this one was pretty small huh? Please leave a review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: I'm so, so sorry for the long wait!  
**

"You can't just eat _that, _Tetsuya."

"Yes I can, Akashi-kun."

It was lunch time. Akashi and Kuroko were sitting at a wooden table towards the back of the beach. Near them was a food stall where they sold grilled fish and other seafood along with every drink you could possibly think of, ranging from beer to juice. They also sold vanilla milkshakes.

"Tetsuya, a vanilla milkshake cannot be considered as a proper lunch." the red-head insisted. "And no, the size does not change a thing." he added once he saw Kuroko motion to the large glass.

"But I'm not hungry." the teal-head argued. He always had a small appetite and the situation made him remember his middle school days. His former captain would scold him and try to enlarge his appetite back then too. He still didn't eat much, but the red-head had managed to make him eat more than before.

"-suya. Tetsuya, are you even listening to me?" he snapped out of his thoughts and quickly composed himself.

"I'm sorry, Akashi-kun. What were you saying?" The red-head sighed; he had been doing that a lot recently. Kuroko hadn't changed a bit, from his unusually small sense of hunger to his ability to make the usually stoic red-head lower his defences. Still he smirked, Kuroko having given him the opening he needed to make him eat something _nutritious. _

"Tetsuya, do you mean to tell me you were ignoring me?" he asked slowly with a smile on his face. Kuroko froze when he realised his mistake. It was too late though, he knew Akashi wouldn't let him back down. When he didn't find anything smart to retort, he slumped his shoulders and stayed silent. Rakuzan's captain saw this as an opportunity.

"While here I was, worrying about your health you were thinking of something else and not even listening to me." he stated with a disapproving tone. Akashi then stood up and went to a food stall. He came back with a plate of rice and grilled fish similar to the one he had ordered before. He set it in front of the phantom player.

"You need to make it up to me." he explained. "So, I will have you eat properly." He smirked once again when he witnessed Kuroko starting to protest before accepting that he wouldn't be able to escape. The teal-head sighed before reluctantly grasping his fork. He started eating silently while shooting resentful looks at Akashi. The red-head didn't pay them any mind though. They were almost done eating when they heard an enthusiastic yet exhausted yell.

"Kurokocchi!" both teenagers turned in the direction the shout came from and were greeted by the sight of a very sweaty Kise Ryouta that was running to their table. Once he arrived, the blond rested his hands on his knees and panted.

"Good afternoon, Kise-kun." greeted the shortest male. Kuroko felt a little envious. While he didn't like running, he wanted to train to improve his basketball. Seirin had beaten Rakuzan and he knew that after his first defeat, Akashi would train like a mad-man. Kuroko wasn't about to be left behind.

"Good afternoon to you too, Kurokocchi, Akashicchi." Kise greeted back cheerfully. Both teenagers nodded.

"By the way, what are the both of you doing here? Shouldn't you be training?" asked the small forward. Akashi shot Kise a look before answering.

"Tetsuya has a large bruise in his abdomen. It seems those punks kicked him before we arrived. I'm just keeping him company to make sure nothing happens." he stated coldly. Talking about it made the red-head's previous anger resurface. He quickly calmed down though when he reminded himself that they would never be seen again. He looked at Kise in the eye and golden orbs flashed before he heard a muttered, "Should've gone harder on them." Akashi was about to answer positively when he remembered Kuroko was still there. He shot him a glance and found him staring with suspicious eyes.

The point guard coughed to cover up his mistake and asked Kise a question instead.

"At any rate, what are _you _doing here, Ryouta?" that seemed to snap the blond out of his reverie and his smile quickly returned.

"Oh, me? Well you see, Kaijo is doing endurance training so we were all running on the beach." he looked around him and saw none of his teammates though. "And it seems I lost them." he added.

"But won't your captain get mad at you, Kise-kun?" asked Kuroko. He had been feeling a little suspicious; with the way the other two were acting and all, but he let it go. He didn't think they could have done something _that_ bad no matter what they had done. If only he knew.

"Well now that you mention it, Kurokocchi, he probably will." Kise dropped his shoulders. "And I'll end up being kicked again! Kurokocchi, help me!" he whined while attempting to cling to Kuroko only to be harshly rejected.

"Don't come too close, Kise-kun. You're all sweaty. Besides, you get what you deserve." the teal-head stated matter-of-factly making the taller boy clutch his heart and gasp dramatically.

"So cold, Kurokocchi! And after I came all this way to see you, too..." complained Kise. Kuroko just sipped at his milkshake before retorting a stinging remark.

"We never asked you to." Akashi looked at the blond's crestfallen face and try as he might, he couldn't suppress the snicker that escaped his lips. Kise was about to retort but his body suddenly jerked forward and he landed on his face. He turned and saw a boy with a scary aura around him.

"Well well, what do we have here?" Kasamatsu was standing with his arms crossed and a threatening expression on his face. It was obvious he was displeased. "You have ten seconds to explain why you're here while the rest of team is running along the beach and sweating buckets." he stated sharply. The fact that he wasn't screaming was proof that he was on the verge of losing it.

"A-Ah, Kasamatsu-sempai...You see I was just, um..." Kise stuttered while shooting pleading glances at Akashi, who knew he was the only one who could provide a good excuse. Rakuzan's captain was having fun watching the small forward getting chewed out by his captain and he tilted his head to the side slightly to make it seem as if he was considering whether or not to help him. Although on second thought, being owned a favour by Kise didn't sound too bad. The red-head smirked.

"I was the one who called him here." he stated over the ruckus. Three pair of eyes turned to him. "I needed to ask Ryouta something. So when I saw him running, I thought it was the perfect opportunity." he elucidated. He met the dubious eyes of Kaijo's captain head on.

"Oh yeah?" Kasamatsu turned to Kise, expecting an answer. The male in front of him nodded his head eagerly.

"Yeah, that's right! And you know that Akashi's, well, Akashi so I couldn't just _ignore_ him." the raven-haired boy could only nod slowly. Said red-head raised an eyebrow at that exchange.

"It can't be helped then." concluded Kasamatsu. "But you're still going to have extra training, Kise. Come on, let's get going!" he finished. The small forward complained and followed him after a quick wave towards Akashi and Kuroko. The two remaining teenagers watched them as they jogged further away before turning to each other. Akashi spoke up first.

"What would you like to do now?" he asked. The phantom man thought for a bit until he caught a glimpse of some people playing with a frisbee. It had been ages since he'd played with one and he suddenly felt the urge to do it. He relayed this to Akashi, who nodded and went looking for a stall that either sold or rented them.

Kuroko sat at their table, waiting. He thought about how much Akashi had changed since the end of the winter cup. Everyone was happy about this, but it was really something special for him. Even before Akashi's second personality had taken over, Kuroko hadn't really interacted with his former as much as he would have liked. He had just felt so unapproachable, as if they lived on two completely different worlds, too far away to become friends. And yet here he was, enjoying a fun day at the beach with the same Akashi he knew in middle school. On second thought, he wasn't the same at all and Kuroko was glad, so glad, that the current Akashi had allowed him to be close to him. He really enjoyed spending time with the point guard; he was fun to be around though he _had _taken notice that it was mostly around him that Rakuzan's captain seemed approachable. Nevertheless, he didn't mind it one bit, quite on the contrary he was happy of that, it made him feel special.

Once red hair appeared on his peripheral vision, he turned to it and stared as Akashi made his way towards him with a frisbee in his hands. Even after his former captain reached his side, he continued to stare without noticing. Akashi tilted his head a little.

"Tetsuya, is there something on my face?" he asked. The teal-headed boy shook his head. It wouldn't do him any good to worry about something he didn't even understand anyway.

"I'm sorry, Akashi-kun. I was lost in thought." Kuroko apologised.

"It's alright." Akashi said. He then lifted his hand that held the white plastic disc. "The frisbees that were for rent looked worn out, so I went ahead and bought a new one." he explained, handing it over. The phantom man received it with a small smile. They started walking to find a place that wasn't too crowded as not to cause any accidents.

"Akashi-kun, let's go play in the water." suggested Kuroko after a while of searching. The red-head thought about it for a moment.

"It _is _quite hot." he stated. "Alright then, let's go." With that, both basketball players started walking in the direction of the ocean. The distance that separated them from the immense expand of water was small and they crossed it in no time.

The water was just at the right temperature to relieve you from the heat and the two friends decided to start playing once the water reached their knees.

At the beginning, Akashi had surprisingly a bit of difficulty at handling the disc correctly. He had only played with a frisbee once in his life and that was when his mother was still alive. Since then, he had never even touched a frisbee and he realised it wasn't as easy as it seemed. The disc would go straight before curving in weird directions almost every time he threw it. It was entirely different than with a ball, which never curved during a normal pass.

Akashi was beginning to feel frustrated. Why he couldn't he get the stupid disc to do what he wanted?! His annoyance exploded and he glared at the innocent Frisbee until he heard a strained chuckle, followed by many others.

His frustration dropped immediately.

Akashi lifted his head and looked at Kuroko. The shorter teen was hiding his mouth with his hand in an effort to suppress the chuckles. It wasn't working though. They were even beginning to grow louder and Akashi felt his cheeks heat up. For the first time in his life, Akashi Seijuuro felt embarrassed. He willed the redness he knew was present on his cheeks to disappear, finding it extremely difficult with Kuroko still laughing at him. If anything, Akashi was sure he was just making it worse.

"I'm sorry, Akashi-kun. It's just that... this is the first time I've ever seen you not doing something perfectly." Kuroko apologised, though he didn't sound apologetic at all as chuckles were still escaping his lips. The phantom man had taken notice of the redness on the other's face, and he found it charming, as weird as it sounded. It made the point guard seem more approachable. He hadn't meant to start laughing, but he couldn't help it. Besides, it wasn't as if he was laughing _at _him. He just found the situation funny. The little sadistic part of Kuroko's mind wished he had a camera.

After much effort, the red-head finally managed to cool down. He wouldn't fail anymore, he promised himself. He had embarrassed himself enough for a life-time and he was going to put an end to this. He took a deep breath and recalled how Kuroko had thrown the Frisbee. He positioned his body and bended his arm. With precision he lacked previously, Akashi extended his arm and flicked his wrist. The disc that had just left his hand soared through the space in between the two boys, landing perfectly into the hands of the surprised Kuroko. Rakuzan's captain smirked, his previous mishap forgotten or more like forced into a dark corner of his memory.

Kuroko raised an eyebrow at the provocative smirk displayed on the taller male's face.

"Is that a challenge, Akashi-kun?" he asked, his own lips curling upwards into an almost imperceptible smile.

"That depends solely on you." replied Akashi smoothly. He raised his hand to catch a throw that would've passed by his head. He looked at Kuroko's face and the look in his eyes told him that the game was on.

XOXOXOXO

Akashi and Kuroko were walking the short distance that separated the bus stop from the inn. They had ended up playing with the Frisbee for quite some time, lengthening the distance between them, shooting with their left hand and even trying to shoot like Ultimate Frisbee professionals. In the end, their little competition had ended in a draw.

After that, Kuroko had suggested they go swimming but Akashi had flat-out refused due to Kuroko's bruise. He had managed to convince him only when he stated that if something went wrong, he wouldn't be able to train the next day. They had then found a nice, quiet spot where they had sat and read for a while before deciding to return since the sun was just beginning to set.

The two basketball players arrived at the inn and entered the building. A delicious aroma filled their nostrils. Supper should be ready soon. They both climbed the stairs to their room while talking randomly. Once they reached the number 35, Akashi pulled out the key and opened the door. They walked inside and set their things close to their respective beds.

Once that was done, Kuroko opened a drawer and took out clean clothes and underwear since the ones he was currently wearing were dirty and had sand all over them. He turned around and was about to start walking towards the bathroom when he noticed Akashi doing the same thing. Before he could say anything though, the red-head set his clothes down on his bed and motioned for Kuroko to enter the bathroom.

"Go on, Tetsuya. You can use the shower first." he told him, smiling. Kuroko was still doubtful.

"Are you sure, Akashi-kun? I don't mind waiting." His former captain shook his head.

"It's fine. I have something to do either way." he stated before turning his back to Kuroko and walking in the direction of his suitcase.

Kuroko smiled slightly and finally entered the bathroom. He set his clothes down on the toilet lid and twisted the shower taps until the water was just at the right temperature. He stripped out of his clothes and stepped under the water head.

Today had been fun. It was only the second time that Kuroko had been to able to spend a whole day with Akashi and he was already looking forward to another one. Despite his appearance and cold demeanour, Akashi had turned out to be a person that cared about his friends' well-being. He had taken a day off from training just so that he could make sure that Kuroko didn't worsen his bruise. As Kuroko rinsed his hair, he promised himself he would make it up to Akashi one way or another.

He closed the taps and dried his hair with a towel before stepping out of the shower. He dried the rest of his body and put on a simple pair of dark blue shorts along with a plain white t-shirt. He took his dirty clothes in one hand and opened the door of the bathroom.

Kuroko was greeted with the sight of Akashi putting away the last of his clothes in a drawer that was identical to his own. The red-head turned around and smiled a bit before taking his own clothes and locking himself in the bathroom.

While he waited for his former captain to finish showering, Kuroko decided to apply the cream Akashi had brought for his bruised stomach. He took the cream that was sitting on the desk and brought it over to his nightstand. He sat down on his bed and lifted his shirt before deciding it would be easier if he took it off completely. Once it was out of the way, Kuroko took his time assessing his injury. The bruise was huge and covered half of his stomach. He tried twisting his body to the side to see if it was painful. While it did sting a bit, it was nothing unbearable and with the cream, he was sure he would be able to train tomorrow.

Kuroko uncapped the bottle of cream and poured some of it in his hand. He started to apply it as quickly as he could, he wanted to finish before Akashi got out of the bathroom. The phantom man didn't know if he was seeing things, but when Akashi heard anything related to the incident from this morning, his eyes would darken and he would gain a scary expression. Kuroko didn't really know what it meant or what had happened, but he knew it was better if Akashi didn't look like that. Nothing good ever occurred when his former captain was mad.

He finally finished applying the cream and Kuroko put his shirt back on before standing up and setting the cream down where it was. He turned around and that was when the door to the bathroom opened, letting Akashi walk into the room with water droplets dripping from his hair and a towel around neck. He wore black sweatpants much like the ones he was wearing the day Kuroko arrived, along with a dark green, sleeveless shirt. The point guard looked at the shorter male before recognition filled his eyes as he remembered what he had set down at that exact spot. Kuroko must have noticed a change in his demeanour whenever those thugs were remotely involved. Oh well, it was not like he tried to hide it anyway. Akashi decided to confront him instead.

"Did the cream help, Tetsuya?" he asked nonchalantly while he sat on his bed.

Kuroko was only slightly surprised that Akashi had figured him out so fast. After all, he _was _Akashi, nothing could get past him. He answered him neutrally. "I just finished applying it, so it hasn't taken effect yet."

"Is that so?" replied the heterochromatic eyed boy absently. He was trying to decide whether or not to dry his hair. Akashi took a lock of bright red hair in between his fingers before letting it go and passing a hand through his hair. He settled on not drying it since it was pretty hot. Moreover, he was hungry and supper was probably already served. He stood up and walked to the bathroom in order to leave the towel hanging so that it could dry. He then exited the bathroom and set his eyes on Kuroko, who was waiting for him by the door.

"Ready to go eat?" he asked, smiling. The shorter boy nodded and they both left the room.

XOXOXOXO

Once they arrived at the big dining room, Kuroko was immediately called over by Seirin. The boy was about to head over to the table where one free spot was being kept by Kagami before he remembered that he was actually with Akashi. Despite himself, he turned to look at the red-head for approval. Akashi nodded, his expression softening a bit.

"Go on. You want to see them, right? I have to go see how my team faired without me today." he answered the unspoken question.

"All right then." nodded Kuroko gratefully. "Enjoy your meal."

"You, too." With those parting words, they both headed towards their respective teams.

As soon Kuroko took a seat, all his team's attention was on him. The phantom player felt a bit uncomfortable, he who was used to not being noticed. His team didn't waste any time though, and Kuroko was bombarded by different voices exclaiming the same thing loudly.

"Kuroko, are you alright?!" the teal headed-boy was startled by the sudden shouts, though he didn't let it show on his face. He waited after everyone had calmed down before answering their question.

"I'm fine, everyone. I just have a bruise on my stomach. I should be able to train tomorrow though, so there's nothing to worry about." he reassured them. His team nodded, but they looked at him with concerned eyes. Kuroko felt touched that his teammates were so concerned over his well-being. After a few similar questions and answers, he finally rose from his seat in order to serve himself along with Kagami, who was already at his fourth plate.

The inn served sushi that day. Kuroko took a plate and browsed through the different varieties and he finally settled for chumaki rolls. He scooped some on his plate and turned around. While walking back to his seat, Kuroko risked a glance at Akashi. Rakuzan's captain was seating with his own team and he seemed to be conversing lightly. Kuroko watched as the orange haired guy, he thought his name was Kotaro Hayama, said something that made the whole team face-palm and Akashi smile. Kuroko quickly looked elsewhere, not liking the confusing, uncomfortable feeling that reared its ugly head again. He sat down and started eating slowly.

"So what did you do the whole day, Kuroko?" Kuroko paused in his eating and turned to look at Kagami.

"Since my fever went down, Akashi-kun took me to the beach and we stayed there the whole day." he answered casually, stuffing another sushi into his mouth.

"Akashi...took you to the beach?" was the disbelieving comment that escaped from Hyuga's mouth. Kuroko turned to look at him and tilted his head, not understanding why his captain was so surprised. Sure, Akashi _was _kind of cold, but he also had a caring side.

"It isn't good to eavesdrop on people, Hyuga." Kyoshi half-admonished teasingly. The bespectacled boy turned red and glared.

"You don't have the right to say that when you were doing it too!"

"I wasn't!"

"You were!" Hyuga argued back.

"I'm telling you that-"

"Enough! Don't you two know when to shut your mouths?! We're eating for god's sake!" shouted Riko exasperatedly. She would never be able to enjoy a peaceful moment with all these idiots around. The two boys that had just been scolded lowered their heads. Kuroko could only roll his eyes and smile slightly at his team's antics. He continued eating and his eyes naturally drifted to a certain person at the other side of the room.

Kuroko admired Akashi from afar. The taller boy had sharp, handsome features. With his almond-shaped, heterochromatic eyes, his perfect nose and his soft-looking lips, Kuroko was sure he swooned women on daily basis. Kuroko was actually surprised that he didn't have a girlfriend yet even if Akashi didn't seem like the type to enjoy that sort of thing. The thought of him going out with a girl made Kuroko uneasy, and it was only at that moment that he realised that he'd been staring. And that Akashi was staring right back at him with an amused smile on that perfect face of his. Kuroko was so embarrassed at being caught; he only smiled bashfully before quickly turning his eyes to his plate where one lone sushi roll remained. He concentrated on chewing the roll in an effort to forget his embarrassment. He didn't even notice the questioning looks his teammates sent him.

At his side of the room, Akashi was having fun. It was positively adorable whenever he caught Kuroko stealing glances at him when he thought he wasn't looking. The truth was Akashi was always aware whenever the shorter male looked at him. He would feel this tingling sensation at the back of his neck every time he did. This time it had been particularly long, so Akashi had returned his stare and was amused to no end when he realised that Kuroko was lost in thought again. He had waited patiently for Kuroko to come back to earth and it had all been worth it once he saw the light blush that appeared on his face. Kuroko had then shied away and while the teal-head hadn't noticed the looks his team was sending him, he had and he couldn't stop the smirk that formed on his face when Seirin finally made the connection and looked at him.

"You sure seem to be having fun." Akashi turned his head to look at Mibuchi.

"Oh really?" he answered nonchalantly. His second-in-command nodded.

"Yeah."

"Well, Seirin is quite amusing indeed." he conceded. Mibuchi glanced at said school and his lips curled up.

"They certainly are looking at you suspiciously, if that's what you mean." He had always considered Akashi's sense of humour to be pretty twisted, but he had to admit that the sight of Seirin gaping like fishes was funny. "What did you even do to make them bore holes into the back of your head?" he asked.

"Me? Nothing much, really." Akashi answered with a smile."I'm just taking back what was originally mine."

**AN: Again, I apologize for the long wait. I had finals and then some very unfortunate accidents happened. The story will be updated much more frequently now though. No more month-long updates. Well, that's it. Please leave a review, it helps!**


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: This is chapter 11. Hope you enjoy!**

"Alright guys, it's break time!"

All at once, eleven tired bodies slumped to the ground. Seirin was beat. They had been doing star drills for the past hour and a half now, and all the boys wanted nothing more than to drink gallons of water and sleep for the next three months. Riko clicked her tongue and shook her head as she watched her team pant and wheeze; if they couldn't handle that much, she would have to add stamina building to their training regimen.

The sixth day of training camp was half over, which meant that they would have to leave tomorrow in the evening. That in turn meant that they only had two more days to train in the best training camp of Japan, and Riko was going to exploit that time to the fullest. She went to sit down on a bench and scribbled a few things on her notepad. The brunette suddenly heard the door open and she turned to look at whoever entered the gym.

To say that she was surprised when she saw a pair of heterochromatic eyes accompanied by six other unlikely figures was an understatement, especially when they started walking in her direction.

XOXOXOXO

Kuroko was tired. After the day he had spent with Akashi at the beach, he had resumed practicing with his team. The first two days were hell. Even if Riko had prepared a training menu much lighter than that of the rest of the team, his stomach still hurt when he moved too much. But Kuroko had endured and it paid off soon after, now he was able to practice with his team like he did before. Of course, he had always lagged behind a bit.

During the couple of days he had stayed at the training grounds, all kinds of situations had happened. For one, Momoi had arrived. Kuroko only learned of this fact when he saw her at supper on the fourth day. As usual, as soon as she laid eyes on him, she promptly ditched Aomine and threw herself onto Kuroko. He only managed to catch the words "cold" and "stay home" while she buried her face in his shirt so he assumed that the pink-haired girl had been sick and that was the reason why she didn't arrive along with Too.

The rest of the Generation of Miracles had then approached them in order to greet her, though Kuroko had felt a strange vive pass between the analyst and his former captain. He wondered what was all that about. And then, his whole team including his coach had given him a hard time out of jealousy.

His teammates had been acting strange too. Kuroko had seen them muttering things in between each other while looking at him and he had also caught them glancing at Akashi in a weird way more than once. On the fourth day of training, they had all approached him with determined eyes and had initiated a conversation that had left Kuroko perplexed. They had started with asking if he liked someone, which Kuroko had answered with a question of his own, asking why they wanted to know that. The Seirin basketball players had looked at each other before suddenly assaulting Kuroko with warnings such as "nobody can force you into a relationship if you don't want to" or "watch out when you're with him, he doesn't have pure intentions".

The teal-head had been confused at first as to what and who they were talking about, but then he had remembered the stares that were sent to a certain red-head and he had connected the dots. Kuroko had not wasted any time and had immediately confronted them, asking why on earth did they think he should watch out for Akashi. His former captain had been nothing but kind to him and why would he force Kuroko into any kind of relationship? They were already good friends, so he didn't understand his friends' reasoning. Kuroko had just brushed his team off. He _had _understood what his friends were hinting at, but he just didn't get how _that _would apply to him and Akashi; though he would be lying if he denied that he didn't have an internal blush at the thought.

Besides that, Kuroko couldn't even recall the number of times that a certain someone had teased him and made his face as red as a tomato anymore. It seemed as if teasing him had become Akashi's new favourite pastime. The red-head didn't miss a single opportunity, he was particularly alert when they were in their room and it was just the two of them. Kuroko hadn't pictured him as the type before, but more importantly, he hadn't pictured _himself_ as the type to blush like a shy teenage girl.

Wasn't he supposed to be unemotional? If so, then how was it that he lost his composure so easily whenever the heterochromatic male decided to taunt him? Because no matter how hard he tried, that crimson color always ended up flourishing on his pale cheeks. And each and every single time, a smirk would blossom on Akashi's handsome features, a smirk that would remain in place for half an hour, as if to remind Kuroko of his embarrassment. And oh, did it remind him alright. Still, despite it all, Kuroko was glad that he got to spend time with Akashi. The taller male might a bit of a sadist, but he always showed concern for the teal-head and always waited for him at supper to ask if he was alright and to make sure he wasn't pushing himself too much. Kuroko smiled slightly at that. Akashi was such a worrier.

The phantom man had been on the ground panting when the door to the gymnasium had opened. He was now looking with wide eyes as Akashi, Momoi, Kasamatsu, Imayoshi, Okamura and Otsubo entered the gym and went straight to where Riko was sitting. They exchanged a few words before the brunette's face lit up. She stood and turned to face her exhausted team. Kuroko was suspicious of the excited glint in her eyes. He looked at Akashi and the other smiled mysteriously, refusing to reveal anything. Kuroko almost pouted. His eyes averted back to his coach when he heard her voice.

"Guys, there's something I need to sort out so I'll have to leave for a while. Until I return, I want all of you to run laps around the gym." Various groans were heard but she pointedly ignored them. "You still have a five minute break before you start. Hyuga-kun, I'm leaving you in charge so no slacking off, got it?" she finished menacingly. Every player nodded.

"Good." Riko then turned around and left along with the six other teenagers. Akashi did however give Kuroko a look full of amusement. It made him wonder what exactly they were planning, since the red-head sure wasn't the only one who seemed to be having fun. Once the door to the gym closed, Seirin looked at each other.

"Am I the only one who thinks that something weird and probably dangerous will happen to us this evening?" asked Koganei after a couple moments of silence. They all heaved a sigh.

"No you're not. Everyone feels that way and apparently, we won't be the only school to suffer today." answered Hyuga, making a reference to the other captains that were accompanying Akashi. The raven-haired boy then stood and walked to where he had left his water bottle. He drank a few gulps and addressed the rest of them.

"You should drink too. There's only two minutes left before we need to start running and by the looks of it, Riko won't return in a short time." They all hurriedly stood up and started drinking, deciding to momentarily forget about the whole thing. It wasn't so important that they would risk collapsing from dehydration.

XOXOXOXO

Sure, Seirin hadn't expected their coach to return after only twenty minutes, but it had now been two hours since she had left and there was still no sign of her. They were all already tired from the continuous drills they had done previously. All in all, it was only a matter of minutes before their legs would give out underneath them.

"I swear-haa- if the coach doesn't return soon-haa- we'll die of a heart attack!" complained Furihata. As the rest of the team, he was panting really hard and had to muster his remaining strength to talk properly. Hell, even Kagami looked like he was reaching his limit. And if _Kagami_ was tired, then Kuroko had long since thrown up.

It had happened after the first hour had passed. Kuroko hadn't been able to hold it in anymore and he had emptied his stomach in the trash bin nearest to him. Hyuga and Kagami had then gotten a break from running; one went to empty the trash bin while the other made sure that Kuroko sat on a bench and rested. After ten minutes or so, the phantom man had decided that he felt well enough to start running again so he joined his team for what was going to be another long and agonising fifty minutes.

As he continued to run, although very slowly, Kuroko wondered if he would make it back to Tokyo alive; he knew that Riko had already planned on making their last day the toughest. However, Kuroko didn't know if he would have enough stamina to do any better than what he was doing today already.

And then, as if some miracle was just occurring, the doors to the gym opened and a girl with short, brown hair strolled inside, a Cheshire cat-like grin on her face. She spoke the words they had all been longing to hear.

"I've returned! You can all stop now!" exclaimed Riko gleefully. For the second time that day, Kuroko along with all his teammates let themselves fall on the cold ground. They were all so exhausted they didn't even bother to worry about the shady look on her face.

"Oh come on, you didn't even run that much!" Riko stated, receiving looks that were pretty close to being glares. Those within the team that had the most stamina were already beginning to get up, some helping others stand, namely Kagami with Kuroko.

"Anyway, you should be thanking me!" declared Riko. "I've decided that this afternoon, you'll all have a break." she grinned.

"And why is that?" asked Hyuga dubiously. Whenever Riko gave them a break, it wasn't out of the goodness of her heart. If she did, it meant that something was definitely lying in store for them.

"Why? Because we'll be playing a game this evening!" she announced. Now back on their feet, the boys looked at each other with questioning looks.

"A game?" said Izuki incredulously. It was his second year training under Riko and this was the first time she had ever decided to do something like that. Although by game, what exactly did she mean?

"Yep! Now don't ask me anymore, I've already sad too much." True to her words, the brunette left the gym after she told her players to take a shower- they reeked of sweat- and to not wait for her at supper since she had already eaten and had something to do during that time.

This just made Seirin even more confused.

"She's acting weird." said Koganei, relieving the weird tension that remained in the room. They all nodded, not having much to say but the obvious.

"Well, you heard her. There's no use in thinking too much about it, we'll know what she means after supper. Let's just go take a shower, I'm very hungry." stated Kiyoshi with his usual warm smile. Once again, they all nodded before parting from each other, though most of them went in the same direction and chatted about what they wanted to eat.

Kuroko's room was the only one that was in the opposite direction since it was Akashi's room initially. The blue-haired boy walked with heavy legs until he finally arrived to his room. He opened the door slowly and was not surprised when he found it empty. He closed the door and plopped down on his bed. He sat there for a while, remembering how the red-head had insisted on brushing his bed-hair that morning. Kuroko had refused at first out of embarrassment before finally giving in at Akashi's persistence. He passed a hand threw his blue locks before quickly snapping out of it when he felt his cheeks heat up.

He got up and grabbed a change of clothes, deciding that he would ask Akashi what had happened earlier at the gym when he saw him at supper. Something told him though that the taller boy wouldn't be there like usual.

XOXOXOXO

Kuroko's assumptions had been proven right when he entered the large dining room and only saw one red-head. He made his way to Kagami who was next to Furihata. Another quick glance around the room informed him that none of the people he had seen with Akashi earlier that day were there either. The six schools seemed to be confused. Apparently none of their captains, or coach in Seirin's case, had deemed it necessary to inform them of what they were going to do that afternoon. And yes, Kuroko was certain that all of them would have to endure whatever came their way together. Other people had also realised it and were sending other schools questioning glances only to be answered by shrugs.

Kuroko frowned a bit before grabbing a plate and serving himself. He started eating as soon as he sat down once again and ignored the rambling Kagami beside him.

Kuroko was mostly lost in thought through the whole supper, trying to figure out what Akashi had planned along with his coach. Riko had said they would play a game, but what did she mean by that? He doubted they would all sit down and play a giant game of Monopoly, so that left games such as tag or hide and seek.

He still didn't understand the purpose of that at all.

Kuroko decided to just give up on trying to figure out what would happen after he finished eating since he could feel a headache coming from thinking too hard. It was at that moment that the doors to the dining room opened, giving way to Akashi along with Okamura.

Akashi was the first to speak up, "All of you, as soon as you're finished eating you will go to your rooms and change your shorts for long pants. It would be a good idea to wear a jacket too. When you're done, come to the lobby, your captains will be waiting for you."

"Those who have a flashlight should bring it with them." added Okamura.

"You better not skip this." finished Akashi with a smile that discouraged anyone from even thinking of not going. He along with Okamura scanned the area one more time before returning to whatever it was they were planning. There was a long silence before conversations gradually came back, most of them regarding the peculiar incident that just happened.

"What's up with them?" asked Furihata to no one in particular. Kagami shrugged.

"Who knows? Akashi has always been a crazy weirdo anyway." he commented.

"It's not good to bad-mouth people behind their back, Kagami-kun." Kuroko had to restrain himself from kicking the tall ace that was sitting right next to him. He didn't know why, but he felt a little offended, as if it the insult was directed at him. He figured it was because his former captain had helped him many times and he wanted to return the favour, even if it was just by defending him in front of his friends.

"You can't deny that he tried to stab me with scissors before, Kuroko!" argued Kagami. He knew the shorter male was not the right person to argue with when it came to Akashi since the red-head was a totally different person whenever he was around, but he still pushed it, too stubborn to let go.

"He already apologised." countered Kuroko with a straight face.

"I don't consider that an apology!" retorted the taller boy. There was no way that "You should be more careful whenever there are scissors around." was seen as an apology anywhere in the world!

"Yes it was. Kagami-kun just doesn't know Akashi-kun well enough to understand it."

"Well if knowing Akashi means that I'll get used to receiving those kinds of amends, then I don't want to know him!" This time, Kuroko did kick Kagami, making him almost choke on the food he was eating.

Kuroko had been a bit angry, but he couldn't help the tiny chuckle that passed his lips once he saw his light's eyes start to water as he coughed. Kuroko sighed and offered him a glass of water. The power-forward drank it in one gulp and finally managed to catch his breath. He sent a small glare at Kuroko before reaching his hand out and ruffling his hair as payback.

The phantom man frowned slightly once his light took back his arm. Kuroko lifted his right hand in order to arrange the mess his light had left. For some reason, said boy was smirking. The teal-haired boy decided against responding to the provocation, it would just start another round of bickering and Kuroko wanted to know what they would all be doing later as soon as possible.

He left his empty plate on the counter provided for that purpose and left in the direction of the lobby. He was already wearing pants and a jacket, so he didn't need to return to his room.

Kuroko entered the lobby and he wasn't surprised when he saw that he wasn't the first to arrive. Midorima, Himuro, Murasakibara, Moriyama, Sakurai and of course the five captains plus the two girls were already there, waiting. As soon as he saw him, Akashi approached him.

"Akashi-kun." greeted Kuroko. The other smiled before returning the greeting.

"Hello, Tetsuya. Did you eat well?" asked Akashi. Kuroko nodded with an imperceptible smile. He actually hadn't really gotten the chance to talk to Akashi these last two days, since they had both been busy with their respective teams.

Kuroko stared at Akashi for a couple of moments before sighing quietly. "Since you haven't mentioned anything, I assume you won't tell me what's going on, will you?"

Akashi's smile turned into a smirk. "You guessed right." Seeing the blank stare sent his way, he suppressed a chuckle. "Come on, a little suspense isn't going to kill you." he teased.

"..." Kuroko refused to answer and turned his head in the direction of Aomine who had just entered the lobby, mouth opened in a lazy yawn. Ignoring the ever-present, victorious smirk on the heterochromatic eyed male's face, he walked up to his former light.

"Good evening, Aomine-kun." Hearing his name, said tall teenager looked down before acknowledging Kuroko's presence.

"Hey, Tetsu." He scratched his dark blue hair. The two of them had gotten somewhat close again, but it was still a bit awkward at the beginning of every conversation. After a while, Kuroko decided to ask a question to relieve the silence that had appeared.

"Has Momoi-san told you anything about today, Aomine-kun?"

The blue-headed boy shook his head and yawned again.

"That woman hasn't told me anything. Seriously, she can be so annoying sometimes." he complained. Kuroko smiled a bit.

"If Momoi-san heard you, she would be angry." he told him, his emotionless facade cracking slightly to allow a teasing glint to appear in his eyes. Aomine shrugged.

"Yeah well, she's not here at the moment so who cares." he stated flatly, not noticing the pink-haired girl standing right behind him

"I wouldn't be so sure of that, Dai-chan." Aomine almost jumped out of his skin, quickly turning around to find his annoyed childhood friend glaring daggers at him with a pout. Not waiting for anything, Momoi started scolding Too's ace. Kuroko observed the pair quietly, feeling a bit of nostalgia.

Akashi had gone back to leaning on the wall, watching the interaction between his Tetsuya, Aomine and Momoi. He loathed admitting it, but Akashi was actually a little jealous. He wished to keep Kuroko only to himself, to have him only look at _him_. But no matter how much he yearned for it, Akashi knew that was not the right course of action to take. He knew he couldn't just isolate him from everyone else. Kuroko might have a constant poker face, but he was actually quite sociable when you had good chemistry. It was a given that Kuroko would _**not**_appreciate him having control of everything he did, especially the people he associated with. Akashi was not about to screw this up by being unable to control his dark tendencies.

He had already dealt with these feelings before. Despite not speaking with him much, Akashi already had these urges back in middle school. He had managed to keep them in control despite of his immaturity; he would do the same this time. Better yet, he was aiming to get rid of them. The only way he could think of doing that was to actually obtain what he desired. Kuroko was too loyal for his own good and Akashi had the utmost trust and affection for him. He was positive that if Kuroko were to accept him, those feelings would overpower his troublesome personality. The teal-head was already messing with his defences and changing him, why wouldn't he be able to do the same about his selfishness? Yes, Akashi would definitely make Kuroko want to be with him on his own. He _would not_ force him into relationship. He would respect Kuroko's wishes and even give up if Kuroko really didn't like him. Not that he wouldn't try until the very end, waiting years if he had too.

But still, they were at the beginning of a dangerous phase of their "relationship". Akashi was aware that Kuroko was starting to feel tiny bursts of jealousy. The incident with the girl who brought breakfast for them a few days ago and the troubled looks he had when he saw him getting too close to someone were proof enough. It meant that Akashi was getting closer to achieving his goal, but it was dangerous. Knowing Kuroko, he probably didn't really understand what he was feeling or at least the why. Despite his emotionless facade, the phantom man could be quite naive when it came to such things. Either way, Akashi knew that these emotions would trouble him, if not scare him. The boy was probably also starting to question his feelings, which would add to the burden. The combination of both could lead to feelings like stress and perhaps even anxiety in some cases. And all of this would become more and more frequent as the time passed. How much it would escalate, that solely depended on Kuroko and Akashi was in the dark as to what extent the shorter male would react.

Kuroko was entering a phase where his feelings were beginning to stand out more, the phase where he would come to the conclusion of whether or not he liked Akashi. It was pretty obvious to everyone around them that Kuroko had a crush on him. A crush he was evidently not aware of. However, no matter how well anyone else claims to understand your feelings, at the end of the day, only you can truly know them. But knowing them does not mean you understand them.

Whenever a person experiences a new emotion, it is easy for them to not know what to do about it, how to react and even to mistake it for something else. This was especially true when that emotion was love. A first love is hard, confusing at the beginning. Many people have no idea what to do, mistaking it for gratitude or friendship, depending on the situation. It also goes the other way around. Akashi was very conscious of this, having experienced it firsthand. It had taken him at the very least two whole years to get rid of those insecurities that came with the troubling emotion people referred to as love. He was sure his personality had something to do with it, which was why he had faith that Kuroko would come to terms with his own feelings faster than he did.

"Akashi-kun?" A hand reached for the pale, soft cheek just below its own, stroking it softly before moving up to tuck a stray lock of teal hair behind a small ear.

_No matter what those feelings turn out to be, I will respect them Tetsuya._

**AN: There, it's done. I hope you don't think that Akashi was too OOC in this one, but I personally believe that when you fall in love with someone, you want that person to be as happy as possible, even if it isn't with you. You also want to be as good as possible for her, and that's why Akashi is suppressing himself. The "game" thing will be explained in the next chapter. **

**And as usual, please leave a review!**


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